EFDA (1999 — 2013) has been followed by EUROfusion, which is a consortium of national fusion research institutes located in the European Union and Switzerland.
The European Union has a strongly coordinated nuclear fusion research programme. At the European level, the so-called [http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/institutional_affairs/treaties/treaties_euratom_en.htm EURATOM Treaty] is the international legal framework under which member states cooperate in the fields of nuclear fusion research.
The [https://web.archive.org/web/20140914125632/http://www.efda.org/ European Fusion Development Agreement] (EFDA) is an agreement between European fusion research institutions and the European Commission (which represents Euratom) to strengthen their coordination and collaboration, and to participate in collective activities in the field of nuclear fusion research.
In Europe, fusion research takes place in a great number of research institutes and universities. In each member state of the European Fusion Programme at least one research organisation has a "Contract of Association" with the European Commission. All the fusion research organisations and institutions of a country are connected to the program through this (these) contracted organisation(s). After the name of the contract, the groups of fusion research organisations of the member states are called "Associations".