On 14 April 1959, the Italian Communist daily newspaper L’Unità reports the opening of the Joint Reseach Centre (JRC) in Ispra and considers Italy’s role in Community nuclear energy.

In October 1960, the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) undertakes to build several Joint Research Centres (JRC); the most important in terms of nuclear research is to be located on the banks of Lake Maggiore in Ispra, northern Italy.

On 23 December 1961, the French daily newspaper Le Monde focuses on the nuclear projects under way at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy.

The Ispra site in Lombardy is one of the four research establishments in the Euratom Joint Research Centre in Europe. In 1962, major work is carried out in Ispra for the construction of the building to house the future ECO reactor (Expérience Critique Orgel).

View of the construction work on the ESSOR reactor (from ESSai ORgelExpérience Critique Orgel) shortly before it is commissioned.

View of the room located above the ESSOR reactor in Ispra from which the charging of the reactor can be monitored. This room is only accessible when the nuclear reactor is stopped. The photo shows two technicians observing the introduction of a driver element.

Overall view of staff employed in one of the workshops at the Ispra Nuclear Research Centre in Italy.

Technicians in protective clothing decontaminating the Ispra I nuclear reactor in Italy.

Technicians in protective clothing replacing the fuel rods at the Ispra I nuclear reactor in Italy.