European Commission Gives Go-Ahead to Hungary’s Nuclear Power Plant Expansion

The Polish Institute of International Affairs is an analytical institution established by an act of Parliament in 1996 to carry out research and provide expertise in international affairs. PISM disseminates information on contemporary international issues and maintains contacts with academic and political centres in Poland and abroad. The Institute runs courses for public servants, maintains a library (open to the public; 165,000 books and journals), organises conferences, and publishes books, periodicals and documents on Polish foreign policy and international matters.

The funding for PISM comes from the budget. The director is appointed by the prime minister for a term of five years, following consultation with the minister of foreign affairs. The minister supervises the Institute and appoints its advisory council, which includes a representative of the President of the Republic of Poland, academics and officials.The European Commission gave a green light in March 2017 to planned work on the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary. This means Russian state-owned company Rosatom could carry out the project in which it was directly awarded the construction of two new reactors. The circumstances behind the signing of the agreement, part of which was classified, might indicate the existence of broader energy arrangements between Hungary and Russia and could translate into their further strengthening political cooperation. The EC’s decision approving this use of state aid also contained guidelines Poland may use for future nuclear projects.