326 



And when we started in 1979, people were still not too clear if 

 this Joint Undertaking would be a good approach because, as I have 

 jokingly given talks on JET on the theme why JET normally 

 couldn't work, it contains in its basic conditions things which 

 would be considered abnormal in many places: staffed at very dif- 

 ferent pay levels, and a majority shareholder which has only 5 out 

 of 38 votes in all decisions and can be outvoted in everything 

 except the budget by a simple two-thirds majority. 



Many of these conditions, when you look at them in a textbook 

 for organization for the management of laboratories, look very 

 much out of place, and that is what we called the JET project. In 

 spite of this, the project started in 1978 with a flying start, has ful- 

 filled its first aim, namely, a 5-year construction period with, in 

 real terms, a budget overshoot of about 8 percent and a time delay 

 of less than a month, and is continuing to flourish and is now 

 strongly supported by the whole fusion community. 



Also, in Europe we are encountering problems with the budgets 

 for research because they have a tendency to grow. And the Coun- 

 cil of Ministers of the European Community has made a decision in 

 December to reduce the financial appropriations available in the 5- 

 year program in comparison to what the Commission of the Euro- 

 pean Communities had proposed quite strongly. 



Of course, this is due to be reviewed in about a year or a year- 

 and-a-half from now, and we have strong hopes they will have the 

 right arguments to take back some of these cuts, but nobody 

 knows. 



In the meantime, however, the fusion community has to arrange 

 its own priorities, and I am very happy in the knowledge that, in 

 the first round of discussions, the absolute priority of the JET 

 project in that program has been recognized also, and mainly by 

 those who are responsible for the national laboratories. That is, in 

 spite of all the difficulties, the importance of the Joint Undertaking 

 has now been absolutely accepted by those who are responsible and 

 have their worries about the continuation of their own programs. 



So in this respect, the European fusion program and the JET 

 Joint Undertaking can be considered to be in a good state also 

 where the morale of the troops is concerned. 



I think I shall stop here, Mr. Chairman, and give you more time 

 for questions and discussion. 



[The prepared statement of Dr. Wiister follows:] 



