Dr. Tanja Perko is a Slovenian researcher and one of Europe's leading experts on public attitudes towards nuclear technologies, stakeholder engagement, risk perception, and the societal dimensions of energy decision-making. She is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN) and professor at the the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia and University of Antwerp in Belgium.

For more than twenty years, her research has focused on the factors shaping public attitudes, stakeholder perspectives, trust, and the legitimacy of decision-making processes related to nuclear technologies and major energy projects. She collaborates with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission, and civil society organizations, and leads international research and advisory projects on nuclear energy, emerging nuclear technologies, and nuclear emergency management.

As a researcher and consultant, she has designed and led public and stakeholder engagement processes across Europe, Asia, and Africa, covering the entire nuclear fuel cycle—from uranium mining, siting and construction of new nuclear facilities, and environmental impact assessments for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to decommissioning, radioactive waste management, and site repurposing. She is currently a member of the core team supporting the development of Belgium's first SMR demonstrator LEANDREA, where she focuses on the societal dimensions of new nuclear technologies, stakeholder engagement, and environmental and social decision-making processes. She has published extensively on public attitudes, risk perception, stakeholder engagement, and the societal dimensions of nuclear technologies, and serves on the Editorial Board of Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, a Springer Nature journal. Her research and advisory work examines the conditions under which societies can make legitimate decisions on complex technological and energy-related issues. In particular, she explores how public and stakeholder engagement can support informed participation, strengthen the quality and legitimacy of decision-making, build trust in governance processes, and enable meaningful dialogue on major energy projects, where societal considerations are as important as technical and economic ones.

Emmanuel Brutin is the Director General of nucleareurope since March 2025. As such, he leads the association's strategic direction and represents the European nuclear industry towards the EU institutions and stakeholders.

Emmanuel has worked in Brussels on energy and climate policy issues for nearly 20 years. He was previously Public Affairs Director with CEMBUREAU, the association of the European cement industry, where he oversaw the public affairs and communication activities of the association, with a focus on the European Green Deal. Before joining CEMBUREAU in 2019, he headed up the Brussels office of National Grid, the UK energy transmission company (2013-2019). At that time, he also chaired the EU Affairs Group of the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E). Prior to that, Emmanuel worked in various public affairs position for UNIFE, the Association of the European rail industry (2008-2012), and the lobbying consultancy Grayling (2005-2007).

A graduate from Sciences-Po Lille, a French Grande Ecole of political sciences, Emmanuel completed a Master in European Public Affairs in Paris. Emmanuel is a lecturer at Sorbonne University, and has regular speaking engagements in various forums.

Dr. Gérard Cognet, co-founder of Calgena, is an expert in nuclear and thermal engineering, resulting from an extensive experience at the CEA where he worked on various types of nuclear reactors. He recently published several articles on SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) and led a training course on this subject, organized within the framework of the EU, for staff of national nuclear safety authorities from numerous non-EU countries.

Furthermore, as a former Nuclear Counsellor to the French Embassies in Central Europe and Turkey, he possesses in-depth knowledge of Slovenia and its nuclear sector.

Jan Panek is Director for Nuclear Energy, Safety and ITER in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy since February 2021. He previously served since 2005 in various Head of Unit positions in European Commission's Directorates-General for Energy and for Justice and Consumers, dealing in turn with the ITER project, oil and coal policies, energy market monitoring, retail energy markets, and consumer protection.

Jan Panek joined the European Commission after an earlier career in the diplomatic service of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs during which he occupied positions in the Ministry's headquarters as well as in Czech diplomatic missions in Tokyo and Brussels. He also spent several years in the 1990s with the Boston Consulting Group in its London and Central European offices.

Jan Panek holds a B.Sc. in Applied Geophysics from Charles University in Prague and an M.A. in International Economics/A.F.P. from The Johns Hopkins University – S.A.I.S. in Washington, D.C. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Blaž Košorok holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana and has passed the Slovenian bar examination. Since November 2022, he has been Assistant Director of the Support Services Division and Head of the Legal Department at ELES, d.o.o., the operator of Slovenia's combined electricity transmission and distribution network. Previously, he held several senior leadership positions in the energy sector and business, including Director General of GEN energija, State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Director General of HSE, Director of TE-TOL, and a member of the management board of Akrapovič. His professional work covers strategic leadership, corporate governance, energy policy, development projects, negotiations, and support processes. He has also contributed to the drafting of energy legislation, the preparation of multi-annual financial frameworks under European cohesion policy, and cooperation with EU institutions. Mr Košorok is a strong advocate of the JEK 2 project. He is an experienced speaker at professional energy conferences and is fluent in Slovenian, English, and German.

Dr. Tomaž Žagar began his professional career in the energy sector more than 25 years ago. After graduating in physics from the University of Ljubljana, he obtained his PhD in nuclear energy from the University of Maribor, with his research conducted at the Jožef Stefan Institute. He then pursued further specialisation at leading international organisations and institutes in Germany, the United States, and Slovenia. As a postdoctoral researcher, he focused on the physics of transuranic elements, nuclear energy, the sustainable use of nuclear power, and radioactive waste management.

In Slovenia, he continued his career at GEN energija d.o.o., where he most recently held the position of Head of the Analysis Department. For four years, he served as Director of the Agency for Radioactive Waste (ARAO). He has also been President of the LEAD Council and a member of the Council of the Energy Agency of the Republic of Slovenia. At the Faculty of Energy of the University of Maribor, he has lectured on nuclear energy, sustainable development, and radioactive waste management.

Dr. Saskia Horsch is Director Corporate Affairs at Marvel Fusion, one of Europe's leading fusion energy companies. She is responsible for the company's global corporate affairs across public policy, government relations, regulation, public funding, communications and brand, and works at the interface of industry, governments and international institutions to help accelerate the commercialization of fusion energy.

Prior to joining Marvel Fusion, she held senior leadership roles at Lilium, driving government relations, regulatory affairs and public funding activities to support the company's market entry. Before that, she spent more than a decade at Amazon, where she built the company's Public Policy function in Germany and helped shape its European advocacy strategy. Earlier in her career, she worked at the European Commission, in public affairs consultancies and as a competition lawyer.

Dr. Horsch holds a PhD in European Competition Law from the University of Cologne.