Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Model Nuclear Inventory 2007
Belgium

Amount, Location, and Details of US Nuclear Weapons Deployment/Storage
Location and capability of nuclear facilities
Fissile material holdings
Nuclear activities
International non-proliferation efforts
Positions taken in international fora on various issues of disarmament

1. Amount, Location, and Details of US Nuclear Weapons Deployment/Storage

Belgium hosts the NATO headquarters, near Brussels, where decisions about NATO nuclear strategy are taken. At SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe, the NATO military headquarters), located in Mons in south Belgium, NATO nuclear strategy is translated into military plans.

http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/euro/euro.pdf

On March 22, 2005, the Commission of Foreign Affairs and Defense of the Belgian Senate voted a resolution requesting the Belgian government to broach the possibility of removal of American nuclear weapons from Europe within NATO. On 21 April 2005 the Belgian Senate unanimously echoed this call. In June 2005, NATO Defense Ministers issued a communiqué that effectively rejected this call, stating, "the nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to NATO continue to provide an essential political and military link between the European and North American members of the Alliance," and, "the fundamental political purpose of NATO’s nuclear forces: to preserve peace and prevent coercion." It was followed by the adoption of a second resolution in July 2005 by the Belgian Parliament calling for the removal of NATO weapons from Belgium.
http://www.nukestrat.com/us/afn/BelgiumSenate032205.pdf
http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/issues/nato-nuclear-policies/index.htm

2. Location and capability of nuclear facilities

Belgium's seven nuclear reactors generate about half of its electricity. Its first commercial reactor began operating in 1974. In March 2002, the Council of Ministers decided to phase out the commercial production of nuclear power from Belgium. All open reactors will be closed when they reach the age of 40 years. The first reactor will be closed in 2014, and the process will be complete by 2024.
http://www.uic.com.au/nip94.htm

Power Reactors
Operational: 7
Shut down: 1
Decommissioned: 0
Under construction: 0
Planned: 0
http://www.iaea.or.at/programmes/a2/

Research Reactors
Operational: 4
Shut down: 2
Decommissioned: 0
Under Construction: 0
Planned: 0
http://www.iaea.org.at/worldatom/rrdb/
http://www.uic.com.au/nip94.htm
http://www.nea.fr/html/general/profiles/belgium.html

Uranium Enrichment and Reprocessing
There are no uranium enrichment facilities in Belgium. Enriched uranium is imported by Synatom, which retains ownership of it through its use by Electrabel to final disposal. Fuel fabrication is at two plants at Mol-Dessel: a 400 t/yr uranium fuel plant operated by FBFC International (Framatome-ANP), and Belgonucleaire's 35 t/yr MOX plant. The Eurochemic reprocessing plant at Dessel was built as a joint facility with 12 other OECD states. It operated 1966 to 1974 and after 12 years idle it is now being dismantled by Belgoprocess. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf94.html

Belgium is also part of a joint commercial venture with France, Italy, and Spain called Eurodif, which has one production facility in France that produces enriched uranium for about 100 reactors around the world.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5278806.stm

3. Fissile Material Holdings

Separated Civil Plutonium end of 2003
In country: 3.5 tons
In other countries: 0.4 tons
Foreign-owned: 2.5-3.5 tons
Total owned by Belgium: 0.4-1.4 tons
Estimated by 2010: 0

Highly Enriched Uranium end of 2003
In country: 0.7-0.75 tons
Supplied by: US

Belgium has firm plans to use civil MOX.
http://www.isis-online.org/global_stocks/end2003/plutonium_watch2005.pdf
http://www.isis-online.org/global_stocks/end2003/civil_heu_watch2005.pdf

Radioactive Waste Management
The national agency for radioactive waste and fissile materials management is responsible for the management of all radioactive materials in the country, including transport, treatment, conditioning, storage and disposal. Its main facility is at the Mol-Dessel site, run by its subsidiary Belgoprocess.

Low- to intermediate-level waste: On 23 June 2006 the federal government decided to dispose of the low- and medium-active short-lived waste in a surface disposal installation on the territory of the municipality Dessel.

High-level waste: A number of shipments of vitrified high-level waste from reprocessed Belgian fuel have taken place from La Hague in France. The wastes are stored at Dessel. Research on deep geological disposal of intermediate and high-level wastes is underway and focused on the clays at Mol. In 1980-84 the Hades underground research laboratory was constructed 225 meters deep in the Boom clay. http://www.nirond.be/engels/1_index_eng.html

4. Nuclear Activities

Research Centers
BELNET: Belgian Research Network
CRC: Centre de Recherches du Cyclotron
FNRS: Le Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique
IKS: Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica
Institut de Recherche de l’ISIB
Laboratory for Plasma Physics
SCK/CEN: Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie-Centre d’étude de l’Energie Nucléaire NL / FR / EN
VITO: Flemish institute for technological research
http://www.radwaste.org/research.htm

Nuclear Cooperation
US: Belgium supplied the US’s military program with uranium from the former Belgian Congo. In 1962, Belgium was rewarded with an American research reactor at Mol, the first pressurized water reactor built in Europe. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf94.html

Contact Expert Group: The CEG was established in September 1995 to enhance safety of waste management in Russia and to promote international cooperative efforts aimed at resolving radioactive waste management issues. Members include Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden, UK, USA, European Union, as well as the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC), with Japan and the Nordic Environment Finance Corp as observers. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf38.html

Canada: MOU signed November 2002 on data and information exchange, scientific cooperation, research and development on matters of radioactivity. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/radiation/measur-mesur/huma/belgium-belgique_e.html

Russia: MOU signed November 2002 on data and information exchange, scientific cooperation, and research and development.

China: MOU signed April 1995 on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. http://www.nti.org/db/China/nca.htm

Nuclear cooperation agreements exist between Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey to enable their national air forces to deliver US nuclear bombs in times of war. http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/euro/euro.pdf

Nuclear bilateral agreements:
Luxembourg (1970)
Romania (1974)
USA-USNRC (1978)
Korea (1981)
France (1981 and 1984)
Egypt (1984)
The Netherlands (1984 and 1990)
China (1985)

Scientific, industrial and technological agreements:
France (1950)
USA (1950, 1951)
Kuwait (1974)
DR Germany (1974)
Poland (1974)
Bulgaria (1975)
Czechoslovakia (1975)
Hungary (1975 and 1986)
Romania (1976)
Cuba (1976)
Egypt (1979)
China (1979)
Algeria (1982 and 1983)
Tunisia (1983)
Germany (1980)
United Arab Republics (1984)
USSR (1984)
Mexico (1984)
Brazil (1985)
Kenya (1985)
Venezuela (1986)
India (1990)
http://www.nea.fr/html/general/profiles/belgium-annex.html

5. International Non-proliferation Efforts

Treaties Signed and Ratified, date of deposit:
Antarctic Treaty, 23 July 1960
APM Convention, 4 September 1998
Biological Weapons Convention, 15 March 1979
Certain Conventional Weapons Convention, 7 February 1995
Chemical Weapons Convention, 27 January 1997
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, 29 June 1999
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, 13 June 1980
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, 2 May 1975
Outer Space Treaty, 31 March 1973
Seabed Treaty, 20 November 1972

Belgium ratified the IAEA Additional Protocol on 30 April 2004.

Multilateral Groups:
Australia Group
Conference on Disarmament
Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation
Missile Technology Control Regime
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Wassenaar Arrangement
Zangger Committee

6. Positions Taken in International Fora on Various Issues of Nuclear Disarmament

FMCT:“The delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium is firmly convinced that international security requires us to step up our joint efforts as regards non-proliferation and disarmament, and, as has often been stressed, negotiations on a “cut-off” are the logical next step along this path, and many of us are of the view that this topic is now ripe for negotiation. . . .a treaty banning the production of fissile material for military purposes has to do as much with disarmament as non-proliferation, whether the latter be horizontal or vertical. It should in our opinion be possible to tackle the whole issue of existing stocks of fissile material, and first of all stocks that have been declared in surplus, totally transparently if we wish to arrive at a balanced and effective instrument." - Statement by Mr. Alain Van Gucht, Disarmament Counsellor, to the Conference on Disarmament, 17 May 2006. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/speeches06/17May1.htm#Belgium

Iran: “I share the assessment by the Secretary General : in the already tense environment of the Middle East, this region can in no case afford a new major crisis. Given the general, and justified, suspicion arising from the Iranian nuclear programme, I appeal to the sense of responsibility of the authorities in Tehran to answer positively to the offers made to them. Iran is a great country, of ancient and prestigious civilization. This heritage, as well as its role in the region, must encourage it to promote peace and security and to rebuild confidence with its regional partners rather than isolating itself by useless provocations. Iran must take again its place in the community of nations and comply with the rules that are governing international relations. Iran has to comply with [Security Council] Resolution 1696.” - Statement by H.E. Mr. Karel de Gucht, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the General Assembly, 20 September 2006. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com06/disarmindex06.html#belgium

Dealing with Non-Compliance: "One year ago, our heads of State and Government, gathered in this Assembly, reaffirmed how much peace, security, development and human rights are interlinked. The mandate they entrusted us with is being progressively implemented. . . . international dialogue, rather than the use of force, is again in the foreground of multilateral diplomacy. Take the case of Iran : we must must make every effort to resolve the difficult nuclear issue while fully respecting the principles of the UN Charter and the NPT. This being said, as far I as I am concerned, multilateralism is neither a dogma nor a simple profession of faith. Multilateralism is an instrument that shall be judged on its impact on world issues. In order to be effective, it must deliver results. Only by actions shall it legitimize its raison d’etre." - Statement by H.E. Mr. Karel de Gucht, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the General Assembly, 20 September 2006. http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/1com/1com06/disarmindex06.html#belgium