The development of gas-cooled reactors has been decisively affected by some important events such as the cancellation of already placed construction contracts for 7 large HTR plants by General Atomic, the shutdown of the Dragon project and the delayed, but finally successful, commissioning of the first two AGR plants. In the Federal Republic of Germany, where the development of the high temperature reactor remains one of the focal points of sponsored development, a re-assessment of the aims, time schedules and organizational structure is currently in progress.