Two approaches towards controlled thermonuclear fusion are being pursued at present- one based on inertial confinement and the other on magnetic confinement. A major step in the world programme would be the construction of the core of a first reactor. We are ready to take that step with the most advanced concept for magnetic confmement, namely the toroidal tokamak configuration. The tokamak originated in the USSR and JET is now the largest machine in operation.