nucleareurope participates in 19th edition of ENEF

On 12 and 13 October 2026, nucleareurope Director General Emmanuel Brutin participated in the 2026 edition of the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF), organised in Prague by the European Commission. The forum allowed to discuss EU initiatives on nuclear policy, including the Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC) and the SMR Strategy.

As part of the event, Emmanuel intervened in a technical session entitled “From Announcements to Deeds,” which explored pathways to move from strategic announcements to the effective implementation of nuclear programmes and projects. Emmanuel specifically discussed upcoming nuclear investments and the framework needed to accelerate them.

“Significant nuclear investments are planned nuclear across the EU, and installed nuclear capacity in the continent is projected to grow from 100 Gigawatt (GW) today to close to 150GW by 2050” stressed Emmanuel, adding that these investments concern both the lifetime extension of existing power plants and new build. He however noted that the right policy conditions will be necessary to enable the industry to deliver on these investments.

Emmanuel further highlighted the importance of EU political support to the nuclear sector. In this respect, he welcomed the recognition of the role of nuclear in the EU political discourse, but called for concrete action to be implemented. He specifically discussed the need to streamline State aid approval processes and to mobilise financing for nuclear projects.

Concluding his intervention, Emmanuel stressed that upcoming EU legislation must be truly technology neutral. He noted that in the case of the next Multiannual Financial Framework for example, access to EU funds for nuclear must be ensured, as it will send strong signals to private investors looking to finance nuclear projects.