nucleareurope participates in IYNC 2026

From 7 to 9 October 2026, nucleareurope’s Ursula Caturla Rodríguez, Guilherme Cardoso, Mathieu Ostermann and Mathieu Didry participated in the 2026 International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC), held in Avignon, France.  As part of the event, Ursula presented a paper on nuclear policy in Europe and Mathieu Didry discussed public acceptance for new nuclear projects, in parallel sessions.

In her intervention, Ursula detailed the EU legal framework surrounding nuclear, and presented an analysis of three Member States’ (Belgium, Germany and Spain) national trajectories as regards nuclear. She stressed that nuclear laws and public opinion of nuclear are tied, with the second shaping the first. She also noted that when it comes to nuclear, national choices are also European ones, as choosing to close or extend the lifetime of a reactor in a given country can for example affect electricity flow, prices and emissions across Europe.

In a parallel session, Mathieu discussed public acceptance of nuclear. After giving an overview of the drivers for positive or negative perception of nuclear, he delved into stakeholder engagement strategies for new nuclear projects. He specifically insisted on the importance of inclusive communications practices in the early stage of nuclear project development.

The event was also the occasion to exchange with young nuclear professionals from across the globe, providing a wide range of perspectives on the future of the industry.