Framatome ANP - AREVA

FeaturesFuture French Energy Mix:A National DebateThe French Government hasinitiated a public debate onenergy that will involve the Frenchpopulation in a discussion of the mainenergy choices for France over the nextthirty years, i.e. discussion on issuessuch as managing security and energyprovision, nuclear and renewableenergy sources.The debate will take place duringthe first six months of 2003 and willbe led by the French Deputy Ministerfor Industry, working in partnershipwith the French Ministers for Ecologyand Sustainable Development, Works,Transport, Housing, and Youth andNational Education.To ensure a pluralistic approach,the Government has enlisted the aidof a committee of experts consistingof a sociologist-philosopher, thefounder and former president of theFrench Academy of Technologies,and a scientific journalist who willmake sure the debate is pluralisticand balanced: a consultationcommittee consisting mainly ofmembers of Parliament and civilrepresentatives will be in charge ofcommunicating this debate to allelected French representatives.The national debate will target thegeneral public with a special emphasison the involvement of young people.Open discussions will be held in sixmajor regions and cities, a dedicatedwebsite is already available atwww.debat-energie.gouv.fr, andassociations and organizations arebeing invited to participate, providingthey comply with a partnershipcharter based on openness andplurality for a quality debate.This national debate is the startingpoint in preparing for the futurein several areas of daily life for theFrench population, and for initiatingan ongoing dialog on energy issues.The conclusions of the debate willbe used to draw up a General PolicyAct on Energy Sources that theGovernment will bring beforeParliament in 2003. ■This debate, the first organizedin France on a topic thathas been perceived, for a longtime, as sensitive and to bediscussed only behind closeddoors, has two main objectives:• Respond to an overwhelmingdesire for information fromthe French population, seventypercent of which feel they arebadly informed on energy issuesand want clearer explanationsand more transparency inenergy choices• Widen the scope of thecitizen consultation processand place it upstream of thedecision-making process forstrategic choices on France’senergy policy over the nextthree decades.12 Advanced Nuclear Power N O 7 April 2003