72-717: The Euratom Treaty , officially the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community , established the European Atomic Energy Community . It was signed on 25 March 1957 at the same time as the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ( EEC Treaty). The Euratom Treaty is less well known because of the lower profile of the organisation that it founded. The EEC has evolved into what
144-585: A High Authority composed of independent appointees, a Common Assembly composed of national parliamentarians, a Special Council composed of national ministers, and a Court of Justice. These would ultimately form the blueprint for today's European Commission , European Parliament , the Council of the European Union , and the Court of Justice of the European Union , respectively. The ECSC set an example for
216-599: A "European confederation" that would exploit the resources of the Ruhr . However, he opposed the ECSC as a faux (false) pooling (" le pool, ce faux semblant ") because he considered it an unsatisfactory "piecemeal approach" to European unity and because he considered the French government "too weak" to dominate the ECSC as he thought proper. De Gaulle also felt that the ECSC had an insufficient supranational mandate because its Assembly
288-484: A Europe of "cartels, clerics and conservatives". Younger members of the party like Carlo Schmid , were, however, in favor of the Community and pointed to the long socialist support for the supranational idea. In France, Schuman had gained strong political and intellectual support from all sections of the nation and many non-communist parties. Notable amongst these were ministerial colleague Andre Philip , president of
360-612: A European anti- cartel agency) would "make war between France and Germany [...] not only unthinkable but materially impossible". Following the Schuman Declaration in May 1950, negotiations on what became the Treaty of Paris (1951) began on 20 June 1950. The objective of the treaty was to create a single market in the coal and steel industries of the member states. Customs duties, subsidies, discriminatory and restrictive practices were all to be abolished. The single market
432-602: A Federal Government of Europe". Six years after the Treaty of Paris, the Treaties of Rome were signed by the six ECSC members, creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom). These Communities were based, with some adjustments, on the ECSC. The Treaties of Rome were to be in force indefinitely, unlike the Treaty of Paris, which was to last for
504-721: A briefing paper from the House of Commons Library assessed the implications of leaving Euratom. In 2017, an article in The Independent questioned the availability of nuclear fuel to the UK after 2019 if the UK were to withdraw, and the need for new treaties relating to the transportation of nuclear materials. A 2017 article in the New Scientist stated that radioisotope supply for cancer treatments would also need to be considered in new treaties. UK politicians speculated that
576-576: A full member of the organisation on 31 January 2020. However, under the terms of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement , the United Kingdom participates in Euratom as an associated state following the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. The driving force behind the creation of Euratom was France's desire to develop nuclear energy and nuclear weapons without having to rely on
648-476: A number of resolutions in favour of his new policy of integrating Germany into a community. The International Authority for the Ruhr changed in consequence. The Schuman Declaration had the stated aim of preventing further antagonism between France and Germany and among other European states by tackling the root cause of war through the establishment of common foundations for economic development. Schuman proposed
720-771: A renewable period of fifty years. These two new Communities worked on the creation of a customs union and nuclear power community respectively. Despite being separate legal entities , the ECSC, EEC and Euratom initially shared the Common Assembly and the European Court of Justice , although the Councils and the High Authority/Commissions remained separate. To avoid duplication, the Merger Treaty merged these separate bodies of
792-527: A separate community to cover nuclear power . Louis Armand was put in charge of a study into the prospects of nuclear energy use in Europe; his report concluded that further nuclear development was needed to fill the deficit left by the exhaustion of coal deposits and to reduce dependence on oil producers. However, the Benelux states and Germany were also keen on creating a general single market , although it
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#1732765850898864-564: A short period of time, or that the goals were merely political posturing to be ignored. The ECSC's greatest achievements relate to welfare issues, according to Mathieu. Some miners had extremely poor housing and over 15 years the ECSC financed 112,500 flats for workers, paying US$ 1,770 per flat, enabling workers to buy a home they could not have otherwise afforded. The ECSC also paid half the occupational redeployment costs of those workers who had lost their jobs as coal and steel facilities began to close down. Combined with regional redevelopment aid
936-443: A way to limit the value of Euratom and gain influence over the spread of nuclear technology. The Soviet Union launched a propaganda campaign against Euratom, as it sought to stoke fears among Europeans that the organization would enable West Germany to develop nuclear weapons. The Common Assembly proposed extending the powers of the ECSC to cover other sources of energy. However, Jean Monnet , ECSC architect and President, wanted
1008-608: Is an international organisation established by the Euratom Treaty on 25 March 1957 with the original purpose of creating a specialist market for nuclear power in Europe, by developing nuclear energy and distributing it to its member states while selling the surplus to non-member states. However, over the years its scope has been considerably increased to cover a large variety of areas associated with nuclear power and ionising radiation as diverse as safeguarding of nuclear materials , radiation protection and construction of
1080-482: Is described in the treaty's preamble. It commences quoting the French Government Proposal of Schuman: "World peace cannot be safeguarded without creative measures commensurate with the dangers which threaten it." Europe had been at the centre of world wars. For this the Community created the world's first international anti-cartel agency. Treaty Chapters VI Ententes et Concentrations and VII on
1152-789: Is now the European Union , but Euratom has remained much the same as it was in 1957 although it is governed by the institutions of the European Union. It was established with its own Commission and Council, but the 1967 Merger Treaty merged these institutions of Euratom and the European Coal and Steel Community with those of the EEC. The Euratom treaty has seen very little amendment because of later sensitivity surrounding nuclear power in European public opinion . That has caused some to argue that it has become too outdated, particularly in
1224-522: Is the only former EC body that has not been incorporated into the EU. Since the end of World War II , sovereign European countries have entered into treaties and thereby co-operated and harmonised policies (or pooled sovereignty ) in an increasing number of areas, in the European integration project or the construction of Europe ( French : la construction européenne ). The following timeline outlines
1296-657: The European integration project or the construction of Europe ( French : la construction européenne ). The following timeline outlines the legal inception of the European Union (EU)—the principal framework for this unification. The EU inherited many of its present responsibilities from the European Communities (EC), which were founded in the 1950s in the spirit of the Schuman Declaration . European Atomic Energy Community The European Atomic Energy Community ( EAEC or Euratom )
1368-714: The Maastricht Treaty created the European Union, which absorbed the Communities into the European Community pillar, yet Euratom still maintained a distinct legal personality. The European Constitution was intended to consolidate all previous treaties and increase democratic accountability in them. The Euratom treaty had not been amended as the other treaties had, so the European Parliament had been granted few powers over it. However,
1440-488: The Assembly or directly elected "by universal suffrage" (article 21), though in practice it was the former, as there was no requirement for elections until the Treaties of Rome and no actual election until 1979 , as Rome required agreement in the council on the electoral system first. However, to emphasise that the chamber was not a traditional international organisation composed of representatives of national governments,
1512-462: The Authority (article 24). The first President (akin to a Speaker) was Paul-Henri Spaak . The Special Council of Ministers (the forerunner to the Council of the European Union ) was composed of representatives of national governments. The Presidency was held by each state for a period of three months, rotating between them in alphabetical order. One of its key aspects was the harmonisation of
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#17327658508981584-790: The Common Assembly, the Special Council of Ministers and the Court of Justice. A Consultative Committee was established alongside the High Authority, as a fifth institution representing producers, workers, consumers and dealers (article 18). These institutions were merged in 1967 with those of the European Community, except for the Consultative Committee, which continued to be independent until
1656-447: The ECSC and Euratom with those of the EEC. The EEC later became one of the three pillars of the present day European Union. The Treaty of Paris was frequently amended as the EC and EU evolved and expanded . With the treaty due to expire in 2002, debate began at the beginning of the 1990s on what to do with it. It was eventually decided that it should be left to expire. The areas covered by
1728-625: The ECSC replaced the International Authority for the Ruhr . On 11 August 1952, the United States was the first non-ECSC member to recognise the Community and stated it would now deal with the ECSC on coal and steel matters, establishing its delegation in Brussels. Monnet responded by choosing Washington, D.C. , as the site of the ECSC's first external presence. The headline of the delegation's first bulletin read "Towards
1800-488: The ECSC spent $ 150 million (835 million francs) creating around 100,000 jobs, a third of which were offered to unemployed coal and steel workers. The welfare guarantees invented by the ECSC were copied and extended by several of the Six to workers outside the coal and steel sectors. Far more important than creating Europe's first social and regional policy, Robert Schuman argued that the ECSC introduced European peace. It involved
1872-632: The ECSC's treaty were transferred to the Treaty of Rome and the financial loose ends and the ECSC research fund were dealt with via a protocol of the Treaty of Nice . The treaty finally expired on 23 July 2002. That day, the ECSC flag was lowered for the final time outside the European Commission in Brussels and replaced with the EU flag . The institutions of the ECSC were the High Authority,
1944-573: The EU as Europe Day ), the day after the fifth anniversary of the end of World War II , to prevent another war between France and Germany . He declared "the solidarity in production" from pooling "coal and steel production" would make war between the two "not only unthinkable but materially impossible". The Treaty created a common market among member states that stipulated free movement of goods (without customs duties or taxes) and prohibited states from introducing unfair competitive or discriminatory practices. Its terms were enforced by four institutions:
2016-578: The Economic and Social Committee (ESC). After the original six members, the ESCS expanded to all members of the European Economic Community (later renamed the European Community) and the European Union (15 countries in 2002 at the time of the expiry of the Treaty of Paris). Schuman described the goal as to "make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible" for signatory States. This
2088-582: The European Community under the frameworks of the Treaties of Amsterdam and Nice . As Prime Minister and Foreign Minister , Schuman was instrumental in turning French policy away from the Gaullist objective of permanent occupation or control of parts of German territory such as the Ruhr or the Saar . Despite stiff ultra-nationalist , Gaullist and communist opposition, the French Assembly voted
2160-580: The European Union . Formal notice to withdraw from the EAEC was provided in March 2017, within the Article 50 notification letter, where the withdrawal was made explicit. Withdrawal only became effective following negotiations on the terms of the exit, which lasted two years and ten months. A report by the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee , published in May 2017, questioned
2232-472: The European Union from 1 January 2021, makes provision for the United Kingdom's participation "as an associated country of all parts of the Euratom programme". In the history of European regulation, Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty represents pioneering legislation concerning binding transfrontier obligations with respect to environmental impact and protection of humans. The five-member Commission
Euratom Treaty - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-609: The Foreign Relations Committee Edouard Bonnefous , and former prime minister, Paul Reynaud . Projects for a coal and steel authority and other supranational communities were formulated in specialist subcommittees of the Council of Europe in the period before it became French government policy. Charles de Gaulle , who was then out of power, had been an early supporter of "linkages" between economies, on French terms, and had spoken in 1945 of
2376-481: The Free Market describe joint action against cartels and trusts which were instrumental in world war arms races, and activities leading to the disruption of the free market. The Six Founder Member States are now living in the longest period of peace in more than 2000 years of their histories. The economic mission of the ECSC (article 2) was to "contribute to economic expansion, the development of employment and
2448-633: The International Fusion Reactor ITER . It is legally distinct from the European Union (EU) although it has the same membership , and is governed by many of the EU's institutions ; but it is the only remaining community organisation that is independent of the EU and therefore outside the regulatory control of the European Parliament. Since 2014, Switzerland has also participated in Euratom programmes as an associated state. The United Kingdom ceased to be
2520-597: The Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia , the state that included the coal and steel producing Ruhr , was initially spokesman for German foreign affairs. He gave a number of speeches and broadcasts on a supranational coal and steel community at the same time as Robert Schuman began to propose this Community in 1948 and 1949. The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( German : Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands , SPD), in spite of support from unions and other socialists in Europe, decided it would oppose
2592-526: The Schuman plan. Kurt Schumacher 's personal distrust of France, capitalism, and Konrad Adenauer aside, he claimed that a focus on integrating with a "Little Europe of the Six" would override the SPD's prime objective of German reunification and thus empower ultra-nationalist and Communist movements in democratic countries. He also thought the ECSC would end any hopes of nationalising the steel industry and lock in
2664-416: The Treaty caused costs to be reduced by the abolition of discriminatory railway tariffs, and this promoted trade between members: steel trade increased tenfold. The High Authority also issued 280 modernization loans which helped the industry to improve output and reduce costs. Mathieu claims the ECSC failed to achieve several fundamental aims of the Treaty of Paris. He argues that the "pool" did not prevent
2736-429: The Treaty of Paris used the term "representatives of the peoples". Some hoped the Community would use the institutions (Assembly, Court) of the Council of Europe, and The Treaty's Protocol on Relations with the Council of Europe encouraged links between the two institutions' assemblies. The ECSC Assembly was intended as a democratic counter-weight and check to the High Authority, to advise but also to have power to sack
2808-451: The UK could stay in Euratom. In 2017, some argued that this would require – beyond the consent of the EU27 – amendment or revocation of the Article 50 letter of March 2017. The Nuclear Safeguards Act 2018 , making provision for safeguards after withdrawal from Euratom, received royal assent on 26 June 2018. The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement , outlining the UK's relationship with
2880-512: The United States and/or the United Kingdom. The costs of nuclear development were also large, motivating France to share the costs with the other members of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). During the negotiations to create Euratom, the United States and the United Kingdom sought to gain influence over nuclear development in Europe. The US and the UK created the European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA) as
2952-545: The areas of democratic oversight. It was not included as part of the (unratified) Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , which sought to combine all previous treaties, over fears that including nuclear power in the treaty would turn more people against it. Nevertheless, it is one of the active treaties of the European Union . Since the end of World War II , sovereign European countries have entered into treaties and thereby co-operated and harmonised policies (or pooled sovereignty ) in an increasing number of areas, in
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3024-703: The bowels of the State Department. He stressed the importance of the freedom of the projected common market from restrictive practices. The Americans insisted that the German coal sales monopoly, the Deutscher Kohlenverkauf ( DKV ), should lose its monopoly, and that the steel industries should no longer own the coalmines. It was agreed that the DKV would be broken up into four independent sales agencies. The steel firm Vereinigte Stahlwerke
3096-483: The concentration of coal and steel as one of the bases of their economic efficiency, and a right. The steel barons were a formidable lobby because they embodied a national tradition. The US was not officially part of the treaty negotiations, but it was a major force behind the scenes. The US High Commissioner for Occupied Germany , John McCloy , was an advocate of decartelization and his chief advisor in Germany
3168-428: The consent of the council. The Court of Justice was to ensure the observation of ECSC law along with the interpretation and application of the Treaty. The Court was composed of seven judges, appointed by common accord of the national governments for six years. There were no requirements that the judges had to be of a certain nationality, simply that they be qualified and that their independence be beyond doubt. The Court
3240-466: The creation of a High Authority which would be made up of appointed representatives from the member states who would not represent their national interest , but would take and make decisions in the general interests of the Community as a whole. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris , signed by Belgium , France , Italy , Luxembourg , the Netherlands , and West Germany and
3312-404: The establishment of a common market for coal and steel, intended to expand the economy, increase employment, and raise the standard of living within the Community. The market was also intended to progressively rationalise the distribution of production whilst ensuring stability and employment. The common market for coal was opened on 10 February 1953, and for steel on 1 May 1953. Upon taking effect,
3384-515: The expiration of the Treaty of Paris in 2002. The Treaty stated that the location of the institutions would be decided by common accord of the members, yet the issue was hotly contested. As a temporary compromise, the institutions were provisionally located in the City of Luxembourg , while the Assembly was based in Strasbourg . The High Authority (the predecessor to the European Commission )
3456-484: The formation of the ECSC primarily with France and Germany in mind: "The coming together of the nations of Europe requires the elimination of the age-old opposition of France and Germany. Any action taken must in the first place concern these two countries." Portraying the coal and steel industries as integral to the production of munitions, Schuman proposed that uniting these two industries across France and Germany under an innovative supranational system (that also included
3528-475: The improvement of the standard of living in participating countries". Writing in Le Monde in 1970, Gilbert Mathieu argued the Community had little effect on coal and steel production , which was influenced more by global trends. From 1952, oil, gas, and electricity became competitors to coal, so the 28% reduction in the amount of coal mined in the Six had little connection with the Treaty of Paris. However,
3600-417: The legal inception of the European Union (EU)—the principal framework for this unification. The EU inherited many of its present responsibilities from the European Communities (EC), which were founded in the 1950s in the spirit of the Schuman Declaration . The United Kingdom announced its intention to withdraw from the EAEC on 26 January 2017, following on from its decision to withdraw from
3672-477: The legal necessity of leaving Euratom and called for a temporary extension of membership to allow time for new arrangements to be made. In June 2017, the European Commission's negotiations task force published a Position paper transmitted to EU27 on nuclear materials and safeguard equipment (Euratom) , titled "Essential Principles on nuclear materials and safeguard equipment". The following month,
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#17327658508983744-417: The members were to pledge not to represent their national interest , but rather took an oath to defend the general interests of the Community as a whole. Their independence was aided by members being barred from having any occupation outside the Authority or having any business interests (paid or unpaid) during their tenure and for three years after they left office. To further ensure impartiality, one third of
3816-456: The membership was to be renewed every two years (article 10). The Authority had a broad area of competence to ensure the objectives of the treaty were met and that the common market functioned smoothly. The High Authority could issue three types of legal instruments : Decisions , which were entirely binding laws; Recommendations , which had binding aims but the methods were left to member states ; and Opinions, which had no legal force. Up to
3888-581: The merger in 1967, the authority had five Presidents followed by an interim President serving for the final days. The Common Assembly (the forerunner to the European Parliament ) was composed of 78 representatives: 18 from each of France, Germany, and Italy; 10 from Belgium and the Netherlands; and 4 from Luxembourg (article 21). It exercised supervisory powers over the executive High Authority (article 20). The Common Assembly representatives were to be national MPs delegated each year by their Parliaments to
3960-643: The nuclear field, at the time a very popular area, and would, along with the EEC, share the Common Assembly and Court of Justice of the ECSC, but not its executives. Euratom would have its own Council and Commission, with fewer powers than the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community . On 25 March 1957, the Treaties of Rome (the Euratom Treaty and the EEC Treaty ) were signed by
4032-451: The organisations which appointed them. The committee had a plenary assembly, bureau and president. Nomination of these members remained in the hands of the council. The High Authority was obliged to consult the committee in certain cases where it was appropriate and to keep it informed. The Consultative Committee remained separate (despite the merger of the other institutions) until 2002, when the Treaty expired and its duties were taken over by
4104-456: The pan-European organizations created by the Treaty of Rome in 1957: the European Economic Community and European Atomic Energy Community , with whom it shared its membership and some institutions . The 1967 Merger (Brussels) Treaty merged the ECSC's institutions into the European Economic Community, but the former retained its own independent legal personality until the Treaty of Paris expired in 2002, leaving its activities fully absorbed by
4176-468: The parliaments of the Six, as well as approval among associations and European public opinion. In 1950, many had thought another war was inevitable. The steel and coal interests, however, were quite vocal in their opposition. The Council of Europe, created by a proposal of Schuman's first government in May 1948, helped articulate European public opinion and gave the Community idea positive support. The UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee opposed Britain joining
4248-443: The proposed European Coal and Steel Community, saying that he 'would not accept the [UK] economy being handed over to an authority that is utterly undemocratic and is responsible to nobody.' The 100-article Treaty of Paris , which established the ECSC, was signed on 18 April 1951 by "the inner six ": France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The ECSC was based on supranational principles and was, through
4320-540: The reason it had gone unamended was the same reason the Constitution left it to remain separate from the rest of the EU: anti-nuclear sentiment among the European electorate, which may unnecessarily turn voters against the treaty. The Euratom treaty thus remains in force relatively unamended from its original signing. This overall timeline includes the establishment and development of Euratom, and shows that currently, it
4392-496: The resurgence of large coal and steel groups, such as the Konzerne , which helped Adolf Hitler build his war machine. The cartels and major companies re-emerged, leading to apparent price fixing . Furthermore, the Community failed to define a common energy policy. Mathieu also argues the ECSC fell short of ensuring an upward equalisation of pay of workers within the industry. These failures could be put down to overambition in
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#17327658508984464-410: The six ECSC members and on 1 January 1958 they came into force. To save on resources, these separate executives created by the Rome Treaties were merged in 1965 by the Merger Treaty . The institutions of the EEC would take over responsibilities for the running of the ECSC and Euratom, with all three then becoming known as the European Communities even if each legally existed separately. In 1993,
4536-405: The work of the High Authority and that of national governments. The council was also required to issue opinions on certain areas of work of the High Authority. Issues relating only to coal and steel were in the exclusive domain of the High Authority, and in these areas the council (unlike the modern council) could only act as a scrutiny on the Authority. However, areas outside coal and steel required
4608-435: Was a Harvard anti-trust lawyer, Robert Bowie . Bowie was asked to draft anti-trust articles, and texts of the two articles he prepared (on cartels and the abuse of monopoly power) became the basis of the treaty's competition policy regime. Also, Raymond Vernon (of later fame for his studies on industrial policy at Harvard university) was passing every clause of successive drafts of the treaty under his microscope down in
4680-471: Was a nine-member executive body which governed the ECSC. The Authority consisted of nine members in office for a term of six years, appointed by the governments of the six signatories. Two were from each of France, Germany and Italy; and one from each of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. These members appointed a person among themselves to be President of the High Authority . Despite being appointed by agreement of national governments acting together,
4752-604: Was assisted by two Advocates General. The Consultative Committee (forerunner to the Economic and Social Committee ) had between 30 and 51 members equally divided between producers, workers, consumers and dealers in the coal and steel sector (article 18). There were no national quotas, and the treaty required representatives of European associations to organise their own democratic procedures. They were to establish rules to make their membership fully representative for democratic organised civil society. Members were appointed for two years and were not bound by any mandate or instruction of
4824-436: Was generally seen as the first step in the process of European integration following the end of the Second World War in Europe. The organization's subsequent enlargement of both members and duties ultimately led to the creation of the European Union . However, it was forced into action in 1952. The ECSC was first proposed via the Schuman Declaration by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950 (commemorated in
4896-406: Was led by only three presidents while it had independent executives (1958–1967), all from France: European Coal and Steel Community The European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC ) was a European organization created after World War II to integrate Europe's coal and steel industries into a single common market based on the principle of supranationalism which would be governed by
4968-456: Was not ratified by a European referendum and he did not accept Raymond Aron 's contention that the ECSC was intended as a movement away from United States domination. Consequently, de Gaulle and his followers in the RPF voted against ratification in the lower house of the French Parliament . Despite these attacks and those from the extreme left, the ECSC found substantial public support. It gained strong majority votes in all eleven chambers of
5040-418: Was opposed by France due to its protectionism , and Jean Monnet thought it too large and difficult a task. In the end, Monnet proposed the creation of separate atomic energy and economic communities to reconcile both groups. The Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at the Château of Val-Duchesse in 1956 drew up the essentials of the new treaties. Euratom would foster cooperation in
5112-417: Was to be divided into thirteen firms, and Krupp into two. Ten years after the Schuman negotiations, a US State Department official noted that while the articles as finally agreed were more qualified than American officials in touch with the negotiations would have wished, they were "almost revolutionary" in terms of the traditional European approach to these basic industries. In West Germany, Karl Arnold ,
5184-432: Was to be supervised by a High Authority, with powers to handle extreme shortages of supply or demand, to tax, and to prepare production forecasts as guidelines for investment. A key issue in the negotiations for the treaty was the break-up of the excessive concentrations in the coal and steel industries of the Ruhr, where the Konzerne , or trusts, had underlain the military power of the former Reich. The Germans regarded
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