BRUSSELS - The European Union and Japan signed a cooperation pact for the peaceful use of nuclear energy on Monday, paving the way for trade deals estimated to be worth tens of billions of euros over 30 years.
The executive European Commission said the agreement included cooperation in areas such as nuclear technology, reactors, safety and radiation protection.
"Today's event opens a new chapter in the successful relations between the EU and Japan," Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in a statement."
"The agreement will provide industry with the stable and predictable long-term framework necessary for the implementation and conclusion of commercial arrangements in the nuclear field."
The European Commission said the 30-year pact's commercial element was estimated to be worth tens of billions of euros. Japan, which relies on atomic power for about 30 percent of its electricity, enriches uranium in Europe to be used in nuclear plants, a Commission spokesman said.
Concerns about energy security and goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use are helping to spur renewed global interest in building new nuclear power plants.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
