Russian Duma ratifies ITER Agreement

On Wednesday 27 June, the Russian upper house of parliament, the State Duma, has ratified the Agreement on the establishment of the ITER Organization, and the Agreement on the privileges and immunities of the ITER Organization. This is the first step to full ratification of the ITER Agreement by Russia.

The ITER Agreements were signed during a ceremony on 21 November last year in Paris, but before the ITER can be established formally as an true International Organization, the ITER Agreement needs to be ratified, accepted or approved, in accordance with the procedures of each ITER Party. This can mean a ratification by the national parliament, or some other form of approval.

This process had already been concluded for India, Korea, the EU, Japan and the US. In China, the process is expected to be finalized within a short period of time.