The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN, for its acronym in Spanish) took part this week in the seventh meeting of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) High-Level Group on Stakeholder Engagement, Trust, Transparency and Social Sciences (HLG-SET).

This group, chaired by Pilar Lucio, vice-president of the CSN, is consolidating its position as a leading international forum for strengthening transparency and social dialogue within the nuclear sector.

During his remarks at the opening session, NEA Director‑General William D. Magwood, IV, highlighted the importance of initiatives like this in the current context, both for the development of nuclear programmes and for the long-term management of radioactive waste.

Throughout the meeting, members of the group shared emerging trends and initiatives related to stakeholder engagement, trust and transparency. In addition, NEA Head of Division for Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety, Gabriela Miranda, presented a detailed overview of the Agency’s activities linked to the HLG-SET workstreams.

In addition, progress reports were presented by the three subgroups that make up the HLG-SET: the first subgroup, focused on collecting and analysing data on perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and trust in nuclear energy; the second subgroup, dedicated to best practices and lessons learned regarding stakeholder engagement and trust-building; and the third subgroup, focused on strategic planning for the development of recommendations and guidance.

Subsequently, the participants discussed and reviewed the updated Group Work Programme to incorporate the outcomes of the activities carried out by the three subgroups. They also examined the resource requirements for the implementation of the new Work Programme (2027-2028), and new strategic opportunities were presented to enhance the work of the HLG-SET in terms of engagement and collaboration with other NEA groups and committees.

HLG-SET

The NEA High-level Group on Stakeholder Engagement, Trust, Transparency and Social Sciences engages at the senior policy-level to cultivate a deeper understanding of the relations between the nuclear sector and society and to develop appropriate mechanisms to foster communication, public engagement and trust building between the public and the nuclear sector, in co-ordination with existing NEA bodies.
This group is currently comprised of nine high-level representatives with experience in the fields of energy and the environment, who were previously selected by the NEA Secretariat and Steering Committee to ensure balanced and diverse representation in terms of backgrounds and professional perspectives.