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FORATOM latest: Nuclear industry reiterates its support for ENEF process |
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Friday, 23 May 2008 |
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At the second biannual meeting of the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) that concluded in Prague today, the European nuclear industry reiterated its support for ENEF, emphasised its role in the ongoing political process and outlined its hopes and expectations for the Forum. The second meeting of the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) was officially opened yesterday by EU President, José Manuel Barroso, together with Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic; Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia and Gediminas Kirkilas, Prime Minister of Lithuania. Also in attendance were EU Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, senior EC officials, MEPs, industry leaders and a broad range of representatives of civil society. The focus of the meeting was the work of the three ENEF Working Groups (WGs) that were established at the first ENEF meeting, in Bratislava (Slovakia), last November, namely the Opportunities, Risks and Transparency WGs. EU President, José Manuel Barroso, stressed why ENEF is important and that nuclear energy is a major contributor to the EU’s low-carbon energy future: "This forum is designed to respond to an urgent need for an open debate amongst all nuclear actors in Europe. (...) There is now a renewed and growing interest in nuclear energy, both at global level and in EU Member States. Nuclear energy can make a major contribution to the battle against climate change, as it generates two thirds of the EU's carbon-free electricty." The European nuclear industry, which is a key player in the ENEF process, voiced its continuing support for the Forum and emphasised the key role that it plays in defining the future of the EU’s nuclear energy policy. Commenting on the ongoing work of ENEF and its WGs, FORATOM Director General, Santiago San Antonio, stressed: “The presence of so many top-level officials and representatives of civil society emphasises the political significance of the ENEF process. We fully support that process and the inclusive stakeholder dialogue that underpins it. It also underlines yet again how nuclear energy is a vital component of the EU’s energy mix. Our industry is committed to cooperating continuously with ENEF and its WGs, which should produce a clearly-defined roadmap signposting Europe’s low-carbon energy future.”
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