ENA: a high-level summit

The European Nuclear Assembly that took place in Brussels on 25 &26 November 2004 was a great success. Attendance at this inaugural biannual event, which is organised by FORATOM, was impressive. 219 high-level delegates, of whom 25% were from the European institutions, took part in the Plenary Sessions and Parallel Workshops.

More than 20 journalists from the specialised press, national dailies and news wires attending sessions and took part in the press conference, which was chaired by Gert Maichel, CEO of RWE and ENA Conference President. Some journalists moderated sessions and sat on panel discussions. Subsequent press coverage was widespread (for articles
concerning ENA, contact Mark O'Donovan, Manager, PR and Media Relations at FORATOM at: mark.odonovan@foratom.org).

The main theme of ENA - a summit for senior industry representatives, high-ranking officials from the European institutions, MEPs and lobbyists - was "Nuclear: An essential option for Europe." The conference agenda centred on key topics, including the economic and environmental dimensions of nuclear energy and the importance of a pan-European approach to safety.

Among the highlights were presentations given by Terry Wynn, an MEP from Cumbria (UK) who spoke passionately about the state of the industry in the UK and the need to keep nuclear at the top of the political debate in Europe; Anne Lauvergeon, Chairman of the Executive Board of Areva, who highlighted the current situation and future role of the nuclear industry in France and Bruno Lescoeur, Group Executive Vice President of EDF, who explained why EDF has invested so heavily in the EPR project.

The main outcome of ENA was the publishing of a "Declaration on Europe's future use of nuclear energy for power generation,"
(download ) which was signed by the leaders of Europe's major power-generating companies. Essentially, the Declaration reiterated how nuclear energy is the largest and most secure and dependable supplier of electricity, is economically viable when compared with the price of gas and contributes to environmental integrity by providing a non-CO₂ emitting source of electricity. The Declaration also underlines the European nuclear industry's shared conviction, solidarity and optimism about the future.

Day one concluded with a gala dinner, during which a guest speaker, Dr. Akira Omoto, of the IAEA, spoke about the current status and future prospects for the industry and gave an overview of the Agency's
activities. For more information, including downloadable copies of most of the speakers' presentations, visit the ENA website at:
(http://www.foratom.be/ENA/Programme1a.htm).

The next ENA will take place on 11&12 April 2006.