An external advisory group of the European Commission has recommended that Brussels “vigorously pursues its current research and development activities in the fusion field,” claiming that opportunities for commercial exploitation of the technology is so far off, that public investment will be “vital” for the “next two or three decades.” The group has also recommended that focus of EU funded research “should remain reactor oriented,” focusing on “the construction and operation of the Next Step ITER‚ as a necessary step towards a demonstration plant.”