European Nuclear Energy Forum Holds Third Meeting

November 5, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

The discussion focused on the following priority issues:

• How to guarantee a high level of nuclear safety across Europe.
• How to translate the costs of nuclear-generated electricity into electricity prices.
• How to develop new concepts for electricity grids.
• How to better involve the public in nuclear projects.

In his welcome message to the forum, Andris Piebalgs, European Commission (EC) energy commissioner, highlighted the importance of investing in low-carbon electricity generation.

Piebalgs also stressed that "it is time to respond to the demand from European citizens to develop a common legislative framework for nuclear safety," confirming that the EC will soon present a revised proposal for a directive on nuclear safety.

The forum attracted 200 participants from European Union (EU) member state governments, European institutions and major energy companies, as well as a large number of key actors in the field of public administration, industry, finance and civil society.

ENEF was conceived as a platform to promote a broad discussion among all relevant stakeholders on nuclear energy. The EC's proposal to create ENEF was endorsed by the European Council of Ministers in March 2007.

Hosted successively in Bratislava and Prague, ENEF meets twice per year. This year's discussion topics were selected on the basis of reports presented by the three working groups set up during the first plenary meeting in November 2007.

Source: European Commission.