Forum for the Future of Nuclear Energy

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Background

The forum describes itself as an informal body whose aim is to “provide MEPs and civil servants with a platform for an open and objective discussion on nuclear energy”.

It was set up and chaired by Terry Wynn, a British MEP, until he retired in 2006. The forum is now co-chaired by Edit Herczog MEP, a Hungarian Socialist and Piia-Noora Kauppi MEP, Chairwoman of the Finnish delegation of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats.

A 'front' for FORATOM

According to Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) "in practice, the agenda is determined by FORATOM, whose members are usually speakers at the Forum’s events. FORATOM’s Guy Parker explains: “FORATOM suggests potential topics of discussion and speakers to Mrs Herczog.”

Mrs Herczog has described her chairmanship as “totally honorary and in fact more a question of practicality, since someone has to send out the invitations and chair the meetings.”

More small reactors?

In April 2009, Roger Helmer MEP attended a Forum meeting about "small, modular reactors designed to supply waste heat to other industrial processes". Dominique Hittner, Chairman of AREVA's European High Temperature Reactor Technology Network was the gueat speaker. Helmer writes: "They were talking about relatively small, modular reactors designed to supply waste heat to other industrial processes. The reactors can be teamed up with plants making cement, or chemicals, or other processes requiring large heat inputs (while also, of course, producing large and consistent quantities of electricity, which can be used on-site or sold to the grid)."

Safe, Cost Effective and Reliable

In November 2004, Wynn told a conference called "Winning the Debate on Nuclear Power" that he had formed the group. Bruno Comby of 'Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy' and James Lovelock had addressed its first meeting.

"We have a task of getting the message across to a sceptical public that nuclear power cannot be ignored. The message to the nuclear industry is that you must have confidence to challenge misinformation that your opponents put out to the media. With 438 reactors worldwide and a further 38 under construction, this is not a dying industry. Challenge the Greens, the media, the doubters in language they can understand – the ‘let’s switch off for 24 hours’ language. Language that says:

• Nuclear power is safe;
• It is not a threat to human health;
• It is needed for a better environment;
• It helps combat CO2 emissions to the atmosphere;
• Nuclear waste can be rendered harmless;
• Nuclear power is cost effective;
• Nuclear power is essential for our needs, now and in the future".