History of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency

The work of the NEA

NEA Statute

The Statute of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) takes the form of a Decision originally adopted by the Council of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation on 20 December 1957 and subsequently approved by the OECD Council on 30 September 1961. At that time, the Agency's members included European countries only, and it was called the European Nuclear Energy Agency. In step with the Agency's growing membership, the Statute was amended by successive decisions of the Council, and the name of the Agency was changed accordingly. Finally, the Statute was modernised by several decisions of the Council in 1978, 1992 and 1995.

NEA Statute

Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy

The NEA is governed by the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy, which reports directly to the OECD Council. This committee is primarily made up of senior officials from national atomic energy authorities and associated ministries. It oversees and shapes the work of the Agency to ensure its responsiveness to member countries’ needs, notably in establishing the biennial programmes of work and budgets.

Chairs of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy
Professor Léandre Nicolaidis	Greece	March 1956–November 1960
Professor José Maria Otero Y de Navascues	Spain	May 1961–November 1963
Professor Urs W. Hochstrasser	Switzerland	July 1964–November 1966
Mr. Hans Henrik Koch	Denmark	June 1967–April 1969
Professor Carlo Salvetti	Italy	October 1969–May 1973
Mr. Reinhard Loosch	Federal Republic of Germany	October 1973–April 1976
Mr. Bo Aler	Sweden	October 1976–April 1979
Mr. Hiroshi Murata	Japan	October 1979–April 1982
Mr. Ivor Manley	United Kingdom	October 1982–April 1985
Ambassador Richard Kennedy	United States	October 1985–April 1991
Dr. Robert Morrison	Canada	October 1991–October 1994
Dr. Jörg Hermann Gösele	Germany	April 1995–October 1996
Mr. Christian Prettre	France	April 1997–October 1998
Dr. Lars Högberg	Sweden	April 1999–October 2003
Mr. William D. Magwood	United States	April 2004–April 2005
Mr. Jussi Manninen	Finland	October 2005–April 2006
Mr. Richard Stratford	United States	October 2006–present

Strategic plans

The first Strategic Plan of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was adopted in 1999. It was an essential step in the NEA reform process that was launched in 1997 and completed in 2000. This document provides the NEA with guidance for defining and implementing its activities over a five year period.

The Strategic Plan of the Nuclear Energy Agency 2005-2009

The Strategic Plan of the Nuclear Energy Agency 1999-2004

Last reviewed: 29 October 2010