Im delighted to join you here today at the end of what has been a productive day.
It is a pleasure to see you all. And Im glad to see so many different sectors represented here today: from industry and NGOs, to research, academia and government representatives.
I would like to thank all of you in the Alliance. In particular, let me mention the industry members of Nuclear Europe and the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform.
Your dedication and hard work have been crucial to make this second General Assembly a success.
Earlier, my colleague Stéphane Séjourné also underlined the importance of European technology sovereignty on SMRs for decarbonisation and industrialisation.
My colleague Ekaterina Zaharieva shared the Commissions common objective to deliver on SMRs as soon as possible.
This shows we have a broad commitment in the Commission on your objectives.
From what Ive heard so far, todays event has provided a great opportunity to exchange ideas, to take stock of progress, and to forge a consensus on the Alliances plans for work ahead.
We face a long road, but we have a clear destination: to deploy the first SMR projects in Europe by the early 2030s.
Why are we doing this? Because SMRs offer groundbreaking potential to make Europes nuclear sector stronger, safer, and more sustainable.
They provide a unique opportunity to enhance our technological leadership, to enable decarbonisation, and to accelerate the electrification of hard-to-abate sectors.
They are essential for our climate objectives – there is no scenario where we can stay below 1.5 degrees without nuclear.
They are essential for our security and independence, as we continue to phase out Russian energy from our system.
And alongside renewables, they can enable us to generate more of our own clean, affordable energy, for instance through heat and hydrogen, to make our communities more prosperous and our companies more competitive.
Looking ahead to 2050, our projections for SMR capacity range from 17 GW to 53 GW.
To deliver on our most optimistic projections, we need well-functioning supply chains, a highly skilled workforce, large-scale investments, and broad research capabilities.
The aim of this Alliance is to lead work on all of these areas to capitalise on our opportunities, and to drive the development of SMRs by coordinating European efforts and pooling resources.
Let me congratulate you on your work so far.
This Alliance was launched just over a year ago. Since then, it has grown to over 350 members, demonstrating both a wide appeal and a good reputation for the work being done.
By establishing eight Technical Working Groups, you have been able to drive consensus, direction and progress on a broad range of topics, from safety to skills and supply chains.
You have also identified concrete SMR projects from across Europe to form the core of the Alliance, with an array of diverse technologies, such as the innovative Generation IV reactor type or micro-reactors.
I welcome the active participation of industry stakeholders to advance these projects.
The success of the Alliance will depend on the success of these concrete projects. You all have to make sure that the Alliance focuses on the right projects, that it gives them the backing they need, and that they deliver on time.
I also welcome the important step you will take in the coming days, by publishing your Action Plan for the next four years. This is the first step towards the success of SMRs in Europe. But only a very first step. You will now have to take the actions planned.
This Action Plan will provide crucial input for the Commission as we prepare our Strategy for SMRs in Europe, which we intend to have ready by turn of the year.
Before then, we want to gather more views and voices.
In the coming weeks, the Commission will launch a Call for Evidence, which will be complemented by a Stakeholders Forum later this year.
The purpose of this Forum will be to expand our dialogue beyond the existing Alliance membership.
We shall include political leaders from European, national, and local levels, along with representatives of international and non-governmental organisations.
By gathering insights from a diverse audience, we can build a strategic plan for Europe that is well-informed and reflective of our combined needs and of our industrys strengths and capacities.
Dear friends,
As I said, we face a long road. But this Alliance shows that progress is possible when it takes the right steps forward.
Your work demonstrates what can be achieved when governments, industry leaders, researchers, and all stakeholders unite under a common goal.
So let me thank you once again for your work over the past year, and for coming here today.
Lets keep up the good work!
Because together, we are paving the way for a sustainable energy future for all of Europe.