NUCLEAR ENERGY IN EUROPE
FROM ACCEPTANCE TO OWNERSHIP

Today, Nuclear energy appears as a prerequisite in order to take up the challenge of sustainable development. Everyone talks about nuclear renaissance in the world and nuclear revival in Europe. The debate is no longer a taboo and must include the citizens. Indeed, the question is not whether the nuclear option, which pertains to national competence, needs to be accepted or not. It is now a question of appropriation. We need to appropriate the European energy choice as a public good that comes under the general interest. The European Commission adopted a safety framework and wishes a common framework for nuclear waste management. We will need more. We will need cooperation and solidarities on the grand Single Market in order to allow those who wish to develop nuclear power, to do so with the greatest level of safety and security as well as of competitiveness and independence. With the economic crisis, is there not a risk for human and social investments for the development of skills, massive long-term investments necessary to the lifespan expansion of power-plants or new build and to research and innovation? Could it not put the nuclear renaissance at risk along with safety and security? Shaping a market that would foster the diffusion of secure and competitive technologies that would allow for the development of sustainable nuclear is therefore a challenge for both the citizens and Member-States, whatever their national choice. They need to “appropriate” the full extent of economic, social and cultural issues posed to the future of the nuclear industry and power. Democracy is at stake here.
By organizing the Entretiens Economiques Européens in Budapest, Confrontations Europe and its partners intend to play their part to enlighten the debate.

Programme EEE Budapest 2010

Thursday September 16th

 9.00 am : Welcome Address by Jozsef Palinkas, President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

 9.30 am : Keynote address by Tamás Fellegi, Hungarian National Development Minister
Hungary’s nuclear future and the expectations from a European policy

 10.00 am : Hearing-debate: The Eurobarometer, and the European Union’s political drive to develop nuclear energy
with Dominique Ristori, Deputy Director General, DG Energy at the European Commission

 11.00 am : 1ST ROUND TABLE: Dialogue and cooperation in territories to build a “nuclear culture”: Europe’s best practices
Chaired by Prof. Attila Aszodi, Director of the Institute of Nuclear technologies, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
With:
- Valérie Bernet, Director of the Communication, Production and Engineering Division of EDF, on the opening of public debate in France
- Csaba Dohoczki, Vice-President of GMF and Member of TEIT, on the public debate in Paks’ area
- Luc Frankignoulle, General Secretary of the Belgian Nuclear Forum, on increasing citizens’ awareness of the risks and advantages of nuclear power
- Saïda Laarouchi Engström, Head of EIA and Public Information, SKB, Sweden, on the time for democratic debate with citizens
- László Lorincz, trade union leader of the Paks Nuclear Power Station, on the power station’s management for the social dialogue
- Didier Louvat, Director of INSTTI, on European training on Nuclear Safety

 12.30 pm : Lunch

 2.00 pm : DEBATE: The revival of nuclear energy despite the crisis
With Philippe Lagayette, former Chairman of JP Morgan France, and Dominique Mockly, Senior Executive Vice-President of International and Marketing, AREVA

 3.00 pm : 2ND ROUND TABLE: Sharing nuclear safety
Chaired by Janos Toth, President of TEN section, EESC
With:
- Abdelmajib Caoui, Secretary General of Morocco’s CNESTEN, (Nuclear Technologies, Sciences and Energy National Center), on safety as a public asset that should be shared
- Marie-Pierre Comets, ASN Commissioner, on the European fora for sharing nuclear practices
- Bernd Döhnert, Chief Advisor, International Business Development, Nuclear Power Plants, Westinghouse Electric Company, on the safety challenge in the nuclear competition
- Peter Faross, Director at the DG Energy, European Commission, on the European Safety directive
- Jean-Marc Miraucourt, Senior Vice-President, Operations engineering at EDF, on lifespan extension of power plants, and the conditions for their decommissioning
- Jozsef Ronaky, Managing Director, OAH, Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority, on the Hungarian implementation of safety measures

 5.00 pm : 3RD ROUND TABLE: Towards a Waste directive. The importance of cooperation with Central and Eastern European Countries.
Chaired by Claude Fischer, President of Confrontations Europe
With:
- Gábor Buday, Director of Science and Technology of PURAM, on the Hungarian perspective on waste management
- François-Michel Gonnot, French MP, President of Andra, on the pooling of research and knowledge
- Edit Herczog, MEP, Hungary, on the regional disposal issue in the European Union
- Isabelle Leboucher, International & Marketing Department VP Marketing Fuel Recycling, AREVA on “shared” reprocessing in La Hague
- Erkki Palonen, Design Manager, Plant Design, Posiva Oy, on the Finnish experience
- Frantizek Pazdera, Deputy Director of Power Generation for R&D, ČEZ, Vice-chairman of the European Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform, on waste as a resource for the future

Presentation of Cover by Cécile Massart, sculptor

 7.00 pm : Cocktail party Speech by his Excellency René Roudaut, Ambassador of the French Republic to Hungary

Friday September 17th

 9.00 am : DEBATE: Cooperation between the EU and Russia
Chaired by Gérard Cognet, CEA Delegate for Central Europe, Embassy of France in Hungary
With Gunnar Hökmark*, MEP, fr. Rapporteur on the proposal for the Council directive on nuclear safety,
Sergueï Novikov, Spokesman of Rosatom

 10.00 am : Hearing: Nuclear energy and climate change
Stephen Tindale, Associate Fellow, Centre for European Reform, and co-founder of Climate Answers, former Director of Greenpeace UK and chairman of Greenpeace Europe Unit

 11.00 am : 4TH ROUND TABLE: The social and economic conditions for sustainable nuclear energy in Europe, and Europe as a world leader
Chaired by Ulrich Gräber, Vice-President of the German Atomic Forum
With:
- Giancarlo Aquilanti, Head of Nuclear Operations, Enel, on the revival of nuclear energy in Italy and the cooperations on the European market
- Christophe Behar, Director of DEN at CEA, on RD/Innovation and Generation IV
- Luc H. Geraets, Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and R&D, GDF SUEZ Nuclear Activities, on for a competitive and regulated nuclear market
- Edgardo Iozia, Vice-President of TEN section, EESC, on the financing of nuclear power
- János Süli, Chief Executive Officer of MVM Paks NPP, on the group’s investment strategy
- Hanna Trojanowska*, Polish Government Commissioner for Nuclear power, on investment in a power plant in Poland to diversify their sources
- Jean-Louis Viala, Director Nuclear Sector, Structured Export Finance, Natixis, on the design of the market for the nuclear technologies

 12.30 pm : Closing keynote address:
Philippe Herzog, Founding President of Confrontations Europe, Special Adviser to Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services

 1.00 pm : Press Conference

*to be confirmed

To participate, please fill in and send us back the participation form :

Participation form

Contact / Inscription :
Marie-Ange Schilling: Mail - Tel: +33 (0)1 43 17 32 89

SEE ALSO:
 The lunch-debates cycle on "Nuclear energy: for a front runner Europe".