Following decades of RD&D in support of the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste, and building on the preparatory work of the recent EC JOPRAD project, a European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD) is now proposed to coordinate activities on agreed priorities of common interest between European Waste Management Organisations (WMOs), Technical Support Organisations (TSOs) and Research Entities (REs). Such Joint Programming will complement National RD&D Programmes, by jointly establishing and carrying out activities jointly where there is added value at the European level. It is the logical next step in deepening collaboration between European actors in the field of radioactive waste management (RWM). It builds on existing and emerging networks of European actors (IGD-TP, SITEX and REs network), preceding coordination and support actions (in particular, SecIGD2, SITEX-II project and JOPRAD). The Joint Programme will generate and manage knowledge to support EU Member States with their implementation of the Directive 2011/70/Euratom (Waste Directive), taking into account the different magnitudes and stages of advancement of Member State National Programmes. This will encompass:• Supporting Member-States in developing and implementing their national RD&D programmes for the safe long-term management of their full range of different types of radioactive waste through participation in the RWM Joint Programme; in particular:• Consolidating existing knowledge for the safe start of operation of the first geological disposal facilities for spent fuel, high-level waste, and other long-lived radioactive waste, and supporting optimization linked with the stepwise implementation of geological disposal; and• Enhancing knowledge management and transfer between organisations, Member-States and generations.