All participants at the Stakeholder Involvement Workshop
The NEA organised the Fourth Stakeholder Involvement Workshop on Optimisation in Decision Making: From Insight to Action on 15-17 October 2025 in Paris, France. The event brought together approximately 100 participants from almost 30 countries, including representatives from government, regulatory bodies, industry, academia, and civil society to discuss how stakeholder engagement can contribute to better, more transparent and trusted decision making in the nuclear sector.
The workshop was the fourth in a series that began in 2017, with aims to foster dialogue and collaboration among diverse stakeholders from within the nuclear sector and beyond.
Opening the event, NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV, emphasised that “effective stakeholder involvement is essential to the credibility and legitimacy of decisions in the nuclear sector”. Workshop co-chairs Thierry Schneider (Centre d’étude sur l’Évaluation de la Protection dans le domaine Nucléaire – CEPN, France) and Nadja Železnik (Nuclear Transparency Watch, Slovenia) welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of building bridges between technical expertise and societal expectations. This was followed by practical reflections on “engagement that delivers” by Rumina Velshi (Canada), who chairs the NEA’s High-Level Group on Stakeholder Engagement, Trust, Transparency and Social Sciences (HLG-SET), which jointly organised the workshop.
During the three days, participants engaged in panel discussions, keynote presentations, breakout sessions and fireside chats, covering a wide range of topics related to a more holistic, inclusive and sustainable decision-making process.
Participants share case studies during breakout group discussions
A daily highlight was the opportunity to learn and discuss in detail the more than thirty case studies, all of which will be compiled in a forthcoming published compendium. With case study groups segmented to include diverse stakeholder perspectives, participants were able to learn from each other. Through open discussions focused on practical examples, they shared best practices and lessons learnt on “how to” effectively engage and (re-)build trust with transparency.
Keynote presentation by Pilar Lucio (Nuclear Safety Council, Spain)
One theme throughout the workshop was the need to consider different factors that may influence stakeholder involvement and access to information. In some cases, this meant explaining different perspectives that are grounded in cultural or gendered dynamics, while others highlighted the need for language that matches the vocabulary of stakeholders. Speakers suggested ways to overcome barriers such as information gaps, cultural differences and institutional constraints. Workshop participants emphasised that meaningful engagement must begin early, continue throughout a project’s lifetime, and provide stakeholders with real opportunities to participate in decisions.
The workshop addressed emerging issues and how engagement frameworks must evolve to meet today’s challenges. In particular, the workshop discussed how to adapt frameworks for special interest groups, armed conflicts, embarking countries, and new technologies.
Fireside chat on lessons learnt from non-nuclear sectors
As a direct outcome of the workshop, a report on key findings will be shared as well as the compendium of case studies so that best practices and lessons learnt can be applied to other organisations.
Participants had the chance to explore an interactive exhibition presented by Jázmin Szabó and Domonkos Fekete from the Hungarian Young Generation Network