Following the decision on the ITER construction site at the end of June 2005, it is now necessary to finalise the joint implementation agreement (JIA), have it signed and ratified by each Party (since it is an international agreement under international law), and establish the ITER Organisation as a legal entity.

Only then can an application for a license to construct ITER be launched. The Atomic Energy Commissariat (CEA), acting for France as a potential ITER host country, already prepared a dossier on the safety aspects of ITER which it submitted to the French licensing authorities in 2002.

The preliminary safety report on ITER will be submitted as soon as possible by the ITER organisation. It will describe the actual design to be built, and the safety of the facility. In Autumn 2005, a public debate will begin, to discuss the environmental and socio-economic impact of the project. This must be completed within six months.

A typical scenario for this phase is therefore as shown below.