The protocol will come as a firm legal basis for related Russian-Hungarian partnership, the Industry and Energy Ministry says in a press release.
Bilateral nuclear industrial partnership started in 1966 as the two governments signed a Paks plant construction agreement. It made good progress with the plant commissioned as Russia was steadily supplying Paks fuel and spare parts. The agreement does not precisely specify the terms of depleted fuel return to Russia, so there were only occasional Russian governmental decrees to regulate it, the release goes on.
Mr. Khristenko pointed out a tremendous importance of the protocol, as quoted in the release. It offers hope to ward off tentative cessation of nuclear industrial partnership with Russia even on available contracts for East European countries now in the European Union. There are seventeen such contracts for nuclear fuel manufacture and supply, and related services. They concern Russian-designed nuclear plants in Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Lithuania. Long Russian negotiations with the European Commission brought an understanding on the procedure of acting supply contract confirmation.
