The 16th European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) organised by the European Commission and the Slovak Republic was held on 6-7 November 2023 in Bratislava, gathering concerned parties to share opinions about the use of nuclear energy in Europe.

The Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities is an active member of ENEF from its creation and takes part in the ENEF Steering Committee. It is vital for our association, representing elected politicians living with nuclear facilities at local level,  to be heard at European level and to share its experience with national and European decision-makers.

This year, two GMF vice-presidents represented GMF and nuclear municipalities at the event. Fabian Sjöberg, mayor of Östhammar in Sweden, introduced the relationship between the public and the operators in his region. He underlined the very good cooperation with the Forsmark nuclear power plant and the radioactive waste management company SKB for several decades. The relationship is exemplary because the citizens have been involved in the process from the beginning. Therefore, there is a high level of trust towards the nuclear industry and majority of the public accept the facilities and feel that their presence is beneficial for the municipalities.

Csaba Dohóczki talked about the history and the activities of GMF. GMF has nowadays municipality members from 16 European countries. The strength of GMF is based on the close cooperation of the member municipalities. GMF usually organises international meetings at the member countries which provide an excellent opportunity to get direct experience about the cooperation between the operators and the public.

GMF has a close contact with EU institutions and also with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Last year GMF created a global partnership with nuclear municipality associations in the United States, Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), and the Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities (CANHC).

The next European Nuclear Energy Forum will take place in Prague, Czech Republic in 2024.