CEA signs European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

The Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA), the French Atomic Energy Commission, recently signed a declaration signalling its intent to adopt the European Commission’s European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. This adherence was specially officialized during the SNETP (Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform) launching where the EU Science and Research Commissioner, Janez Potocnik, EU Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, senior CEA representatives, EC officials and some journalists were present. In a nutshell, the European Charter is a series of general principles and basic conditions that define the roles, responsibilities and prerogatives of researchers, their employers and those who fund research.

By signing up to the Charter and Code of Conduct the CEA has underlined how important it believes it is to strengthen the attractiveness of the EU as a breeding ground for research excellence and an arena for committed and talented researchers to opt for an interesting and fulfilling career in research. Adherence to the Charter also underlines the CEA’s commitment to promoting increased mobility for Europe’s researchers and spotlights the emphasis that the CEA gives to human resources policies and procedures that seek to encourage the hiring, education and training of researchers, especially with regards to the nuclear domain. On this question, Commissioner Potocnik stressed the importance that the European Commission also attaches to optimising working conditions and career prospects for researches when he said: “Creating a research-oriented Europe depends upon improving researchers’ working conditions. It is essential that research institutes commit themselves to providing researchers with the best possible career opportunities.”

This view was echoed by Alain Bugat, the CEO of CEA, who also linked improved working conditions to encouraging competitiveness: ”The CEA is convinced that the ability of research institutes to offer attractive working conditions and career opportunities to researchers is a key factor in meeting the challenge of maintaining Europe’s scientific and economic competitiveness.”

The CEA has already put the majority of the Charter’s recommendations into practice. For example, in order to encourage researcher mobility it has written new specific fixed- term employment contracts, compatible with EU employment legislation, that enable French and foreign researchers to work on research projects under the aegis of the EU’s 6th and 7th Framework Programmes.

Furthermore, by signing up to the Charter and the Code of Conduct the CEA has reaffirmed the active role that it plays – and intends to continue playing – in promoting the European Research Area, in maintaining Europe’s position as a world leader in scientific excellence and in ensuring that Europe’s industry remains highly competitive. Only by recruiting and retaining the best researchers can the technical advances identified ensure the sustainability of nuclear research.

For more information about the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers consult the CEA’s website at: www.cea.fr.