International Nuclear Power Congress Dedicated to Acceptance Issues

Berlin, 20.05.2003 The 2003 Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology got underway in Berlin today. The motto of this year`s conference, hosted by the German Atomic Forum and the German Nuclear Society, is "Acceptance - The Key to Success". Around 1000 participants from all over the world are expected to attend this specialist congress, which counts among the largest event of its kind internationally. The opening day is focused on the discussion about how nuclear power can find acceptance within society.

At the beginning of the conference the President of the German Atomic Forum, Dr. Gert Maichel, stressed the need for broad acceptance of nuclear power. The clear "yes" to nuclear power signalled by the Swiss population last weekend shows that nuclear power is accepted by the people. "The Swiss vote clearly shows once more that the purely politically motivated phase-out of the peaceful use of nuclear power in Germany has not set a precedent internationally," said Mr. Maichel. In this context, information of the public about the contribution of nuclear power to a future-oriented energy mix plays a key role.

Against the background of the world-wide expansion of nuclear power plant capacities and the fact that the German plants will have to be operated safely for many more years to come, maintaining know-how in the nuclear sector is still very high on the agenda. This objective is also mirrored on a broad basis at the Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology. For example, on May 21 there will be the "Nuclear Power Campus", an all-day information event for students from secondary and higher education about career prospects in the nuclear sector.

DEUTSCHES ATOMFORUM E.V.