The European Parliament and the Euratom Treaty: Past, present and future

This working paper analyses the evolution, operation and reform prospects of the Euratom Treaty, with particular emphasis on the European Parliament’s marginal institutional role. It first reconstructs the origins and early history of Euratom from 1955 to 1968, showing how nuclear integration, initially seen as the most promising motor of European unity, produced a weak and ultimately “gutted” treaty, undermined by Franco‑German divergences, unrealistic economic expectations and the collapse of the “energy shortage” myth. It then examines the main treaty provisions on research, health and safety, supplies, safeguards, loans, property and external agreements, highlighting their partial implementation, legal ambiguities and democratic deficit, especially the absence of robust parliamentary involvement in sensitive nuclear domains. Finally, it develops strategic options—ranging from small, cumulative procedural gains to selective treaty revision—through which the European Parliament might use budgetary leverage, oversight tools and alliance‑building to reduce Euratom’s democratic deficit without jeopardising enlargement or reactor safety goals.