Greater Transparencyin Nuclear Energy– the EESC in action –

TEN, Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society

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1. A word from János Tóth, President of the TEN section 3

2. The road to ENEF (the European Nuclear Energy Forum) 4

3. Towards transparency 4

4. Nuclear energy in the opinions of the EESC 5

5. Beyond information and communication 7

1. A word from János TóTh, PresidenT of The Ten secTion

At a time when all around the world people are speaking of a nuclear renaissance,

it seems vital to take a look at how European social and economic actors view the

nuclear industry and the opportunities and risks involved in this type of energy

production, not to mention the expectations regarding their involvement in the

decisions leading to the construction and management of nuclear plants. Unless

proper efforts are made to inform and involve European civil society, initiatives for

promoting greater nuclear capacity could face major obstacles associated with

insufficient support and endorsement. This would severely limit the capacity of

nuclear energy to contribute to climate change mitigation, which is claimed to be

the main asset of this energy form by their enthusiastic promoters.

At the end of the first meeting of the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) held

in Bratislava on 26 and 27 November 2007, the European Economic and Social

Committee (EESC) was asked by the European Commission to chair the ENEF

“Transparency” Working Group. This WG aims to examine ways to better inform

the public objectively about all aspects of nuclear energy and to provide clear,

easily accessible information on the existing solutions for waste management. The

bi-annual ENEF meetings offer a favourable environment for discussing key issues

on the future development of nuclear energy in the EU. European civil society’s

participation in the process is a major element of the ENEF’s success. The EESC

assumes a neutral role by creating the appropriate conditions for promoting more

and better dialogue between all the actors concerned.

The EESC has been directly involved in the re-launched European debate on

nuclear energy, and several of its Members have had the opportunity to stress the

need for more transparency and broader participation. Through its Members, who

represent an active and competent network of inter-twined organisations, the EESC

has a key role to play in ensuring that European civil society is adequately involved

in the transparency effort.

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2. The roAd To enef

At the beginning of the 21st century, energy has become one of the most

challenging issues facing Europe. Demand for energy is increasing each year. The

gas crisis in January 2009, the oil price peak in summer 2008 and the electricity

blackouts affecting thousands of European citizens have made unmistakably clear

that Europe needs a rapid and profound revolution of its energy system if it is to

supply safe, affordable and environmentally sound energy to its citizens and its

economy.

In recent years, the European Commission has launched several initiatives, at policy

and research level, in order to respond to these challenges. The three core objectives

for European energy policy are competitiveness, sustainable development and

security of supply.

At the European Summit of 8th and 9th March 2007, the European Council agreed

on a comprehensive European energy policy action plan and adopted ambitious

goals in the field of global climate protection. The Summit endorsed the Commission’s

proposal to organise a broad discussion among all relevant stakeholders on the

opportunities and risks of nuclear energy. The European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF),

which was created in the wake of the Summit, aims to set up a new platform for such

dialogue and debate with a wide range of stakeholders in the field of nuclear energy.

3. TowArds TrAnsPArency

ENEF discusses important subjects such as harmonized safety standards,

requirements of a modern electricity grid, pricing models for nuclear energy and

transparency in nuclear projects. It is organized into 3 working groups. The working

group tasked with promoting improved transparency of nuclear energy aims to

trigger a shift from a ‘culture of silence’ to a ‘culture of active information’.

This should become a priority for all key actors in the nuclear community in order

to build trust and mutual understanding. To this effect, ENEF supports the efforts,

already initiated by the Commission, to facilitate the distribution of objective and

reliable information. It also develops appropriate consultative processes in the

nuclear field, building in particular on municipalities with nuclear facilities and local

information commissions.

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4. nucleAr energy in The oPinions of The eesc

The advisory role of the EESC in the nuclear domain

is formally established by the EURATOM Treaty

(principally the article 31). The Commission must

request the opinion of the European Economic

and Social Committee:

• onbasicstandardsfortheprotectionof

the health of workers and the general

public against the dangers arising from

ionizingradiations(article31),

• on periodically published illustrative

programmes indicating in particular

nuclearenergyproductiontargetsandall

the types of investment required for their

attainment(article40),

• on setting up schools, within the framework of

the Joint Nuclear Research Centre, for the training of

specialists,particularlyinthefieldsofprospectingforminerals,

theproductionofhighpuritynuclearmaterials, theprocessingof irradiated

fuels,nuclearengineering,healthand safetyand theproductionanduseof

radioisotopes(article9).

In addition, the Commission shall keep the European Economic and Social

Committee informed of the broad outlines of Community research and training

programmes (article 7).

The EESC has adopted a large number of opinions in this area, leading to substantial

and relevant recommendations.

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The EESC Section dealing with Transport, Energy,

Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)

has been entrusted with following nuclear

energy policy; it also plays an active role in

the work of the “European Nuclear Energy

Forum” (ENEF).

Looking essentially at recent opinions,

the EESC adopted in 2007 an opinion

on the Commission’s so-called PINC

(Nuclear Illustrative Programme) report.

This opinion stressed some particular

issues, such as the need for the EU to

develop the highest possible standards

for safety, security and non-proliferation (as

required by the Euratom Treaty), the terrorism

threat, the availability of cooling water for some

plants, problem of ageing power stations, and the

importance of maintaining efforts on education, training

and research.

In December 2008, the EESC adopted an exploratory opinion on “Future investment

in nuclear energy” at the request of the EC Commissioner in charge of energy,

Mr Andris Piebalgs, who thanked the EESC for its opinion and highlighted

that the second Strategic Energy Review largely took into account the EESC

recommendations.

This opinion focused on the importance of investments for maintaining the safety

and security of nuclear plants, which in turn is crucial for securing public and political

acceptance of the industry’s long-term future. It is necessary to have transparent

and participatory decision-making process, with complete information, including a

comparison of the internal and external costs of different energy sources.

In 2009, the EESC will adopt an opinion on “Setting up a Community framework for

nuclear safety” following the recent proposal by the Commission of a Directive on

Nuclear Safety.

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5. Beyond informATion And communicATion

A major conference on the vision of European civil society on nuclear energy was

organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in collaboration

with the European Commission on 26 January 2009, as part of the ongoing energy

debate and the ENEF discussions.

The conference aimed to stimulate dialogue on the key issues surrounding the

future development of nuclear energy in the EU. It brought together experts,

political decision-makers, social and economic players from both the national and

the European level as well as “European citizens” and sought to find answers to the

following questions:

•Whatare civil society’s perceptionson the economicand social impactsof

nuclearenergy?

•Whatarecivilsociety’sexpectationsintermsoftransparencyofnuclearenergy?

•Howshouldcivilsocietybeinvolvedindecision-makingonnuclearenergy?

•WhatistheroleofcivilsocietyintheimplementationoftheAarhusconvention?

A key message from the conference was that there is agreement on the need for

transparency in the way nuclear energy is used and managed in the EU, but there is

disagreement on the way how this transparency should be achieved.

For anti-nuclear energy campaigners, the argument that nuclear energy is “carbon

free” and therefore a global warming solution, fails to account for the entire nuclear

fuel cycle. Public acceptance could be largely improved if the positive role of nuclear

energy was clearly demonstrated and better communicated.” They criticized that

there is no form of public and inclusive decision-making in the nuclear energy

domain.

Pro-nuclear energy campaigners supporting the expansion of the global nuclear

energy industry argued that nuclear energy is as “carbon-free” as any of the other

low-carbon energy options like renewables when accounting for the whole

systems, and that it is vital to address the risks of climate change, the increasing

demand for base load energy, and the security of energy supply.

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