European Cooperation and Technological Innovation : Applied Research in the OEEC Halden Reactor Project

This essay focuses on the activities of one of the joint enterprises of OEEC European Nuclear Energy Agency. Born as a piece of cooperation between The Netherlands and Norway, the Halden Reactor Project was 'internationalised' under the aegis of the specialised technical agency of the OEEC to become a paradigmatic example of 'soft approach', but successful, multilateral cooperation. The essay not only deals with an almost forgotten example of European atomic energy cooperation, but helps in fine-tuning the overall appraisal of Euratom Commission external projection and basic effectiveness. Being the Halden Reactor Project still in existence, the essay draws also on interviews with member of the original research team in Norway.