On 6 December 2011, the European Nuclear Assembly (ENA 2011) took place at the Residence Palace, in Brussels. This annual conference organised by FORATOM was sponsored by Westinghouse, GE Hitachi and AREVA. It is one of the most important conferences on the international nuclear events calendar. It was attended by over 100 delegates from 16 countries, including senior officials from the European institutions, think-tanks, national politicians, consultants, representatives from international organisations, journalists, and industry leaders.
Press release on EC's 2050 Energy Roadmap
"A second set of priorities that I see for myself and this government is a further reduction of dependence on a single source. First of all, this involves putting forward three bills during the spring session, namely: the LNG law, the Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) law, and amendments to the Law on Heating Sector... talks on the Visaginas NPP (VAE) and debates on the required laws will be one of the key tasks during the parliamentary spring session." 
Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:59 | 
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The year 2011 was marked by the Fukushima accident that had a major impact on the EU institutional agenda as far as nuclear is concerned. In 2012, the consequences of Fukushima at EU level will continue to unfold with the completion of the so-called "stress tests", the revision of the safety Directive and the publication of a European-wide opinion poll (Eurobarometer) on waste and safety. Other developments are also in the pipeline like the publication of a report on nuclear by the European Commission (EC) called "PINC" and the adoption by the European Parliament (EP) of own initiative reports on the Energy Roadmap 2050 and the Low-carbon Roadmap 2050. Please find below an overview of EU nuclear policy developments expected this year.
2011 was a watershed year for EU nuclear policy essentially due the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan in March. This event changed the EU institutions' nuclear agenda and put safety at the top. Thus, in addition to expected developments like the adoption by the European Council of the nuclear waste Directive and of the Energy Roadmap 2020 and the publication by the European Commission of the Low-carbon 2050 Roadmap and the Energy 2050 Roadmap, a new process called the "stress tests" was launched in order to re-evaluate the safety of nuclear power plants in the EU in the light of the Fukushima accident. Please find here 
The European Commission (EC)'s Energy 2050 Roadmap stresses the important contribution of nuclear energy in achieving the EU's goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050 whilst at the same time ensuring security of energy supply and promoting competitiveness.
The European Commission (EC) published on 24 November a Communication saying that the “stress tests” process is “well on track”. The EC examined the reports submitted by licensees and EU national regulators of all the 14 countries that operate nuclear reactors in the EU. The Communication concludes that there is a need to strengthen EU legislation and/or the cooperation among Member States in the following areas: safety standards (siting, design, construction and operation); emergency responsiveness, liability, and safety research.
