Euratom Treaty

Euratom Treaty

Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community
Type	Founding treaty
Signed	25 March 1957
Location	Capitoline Hill, Rome, Italy
Effective	1 January 1958
Signatories	(original signatories): Belgium France Italy Luxembourg the Netherlands West Germany
Parties	27[1] (all European Union member states)
Depositary	Government of Italy
Language	(original): Dutch, German, French and Italian.
Languages	all 24[2] official Languages of the European Union
Full text
Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community at Wikisource
Consolidated (amended) version of the EURATOM treaty (2009)

The Euratom Treaty, officially the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, established the European Atomic Energy Community. It was signed on 25 March 1957 at the same time as the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC Treaty).

The Euratom Treaty is less well known because of the lower profile of the organisation that it founded. The EEC has evolved into what is now the European Union, but Euratom has remained much the same as it was in 1957 although it is governed by the institutions of the European Union. It was established with its own Commission and Council, but the 1967 Merger Treaty merged these institutions of Euratom and the European Coal and Steel Community with those of the EEC.

The Euratom treaty has seen very little amendment because of later sensitivity surrounding nuclear power in European public opinion. That has caused some to argue that it has become too outdated, particularly in the areas of democratic oversight. It was not included as part of the (unratified) Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, which sought to combine all previous treaties, over fears that including nuclear power in the treaty would turn more people against it. Nevertheless, it is one of the active treaties of the European Union.