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That was the year that was: the EU nuclear policy developments that made the headlines in 2011
 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. If you want to refresh your memory, please read the look back.
EC's 2050 Energy Roadmap recognizes nuclear energy's role in Europe's low-carbon future
 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.
Public opinion
Support for nuclear new build in the UK has recovered
 A new opinion poll conducted by Ipsos MORI shows that British citizens' support for nuclear new build to replace ageing nuclear reactors is back to what it was before the Fukushima accident.
Video
 Nuclear power needed to fight climate change
The scientist, author and broadcaster Prof Jim Al-Khalili says "we have to change our views on nuclear power" as he addressed concerns after the Fukushima plant leak in Japan. The professor of nuclear physics said nuclear was affordable, secure and reliable - adding solar and wind power were important but not enough to replace the current reliance on coal and gas.
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Who said what?
 "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." Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuanian President, on 12 January 2012 (source: BNS)
Facts & Figures
All the high-level radioactive waste that has been produced since the beginning of the French nuclear programme 50 years ago amounts to 3000 m³, equivalent to the volume of an Olympic swimming pool. Source: French Nuclear Society (SFEN)
Publication update
 The brochure What people think about nuclear has been updated to take into account how public acceptance of nuclear has evolved both in the immediate aftermath of Fukushima and in the final months of 2011.
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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 read the EU nuclear policy developments.
