Brussels, 17 April 2026

Note for the attention to Mr Dan Jørgensen

Commissioner Energy and Housing

Subject: Your visit to F4E and the need for the Commission’s continued and unwavering support for F4E

Ref.: My letter of 16 March 2026 addressed to Vice-President Ribera

         My letter of 30 January 2026 addressed to you and Commissioner P. Serafin

On several occasions, including most recently in our open letter addressed to you and Commissioner Serafin, we have underscored how essential it is for F4E to be able to rely on the Commission’s steadfast and unequivocal support within the strengthened governance framework established by the Commission for the Agencies and the Joint Undertakings (JUs) ( link ).

In particular, we have stressed that such support is indispensable if F4E is finally to emerge from a crisis that has persisted for far too long, as clearly evidenced, inter alia, by the deeply troubling results of all staff consultations conducted in recent years and, most recently, confirmed once again by the latest consultation.

In this respect, we greatly appreciated Commissioner Serafin’s favourable response to our request that the Commission’s Chief Confidential Counsellor provide direct assistance to F4E colleagues by visiting them in person, in the context of her very first mission to a regulatory agency or Joint Undertaking.

This was all the more important, just as we very much welcomed Vice-President Ribera’s recent visit to F4E ( link ).

Nevertheless, in the letters we addressed to you, we considered it important to underline that, in light of your responsibilities as Commissioner for Energy, F4E staff were also awaiting a clear sign of attention from you, together with much closer engagement by the services of DG ENER under your authority.

It is therefore with particular satisfaction that we noted that our calls had been heard and that you will in turn visit F4E on 20 April.

In this regard, we would like to convey to you the appreciation expressed by colleagues, together with the expectations and hopes that your visit has raised among staff.

Pending that visit, we believe it would be both useful and timely to draw your attention to a number of issues and concerns raised by our colleagues, in particular with regard to F4E’s present situation and future priorities.

First and foremost, we wish to reaffirm that F4E staff are fully aware of ITER’s essential role as a key, fundamental and indispensable step towards demonstrating the feasibility of fusion as a source of energy. F4E staff remain fully committed to doing their utmost to contribute to the success of ITER. We are fully conscious of our responsibility to help meet the expectations that citizens around the world place in the success of this project.

At the same time, we would also like to take this opportunity to underline the importance of F4E as a central actor in the development of fusion research in Europe.

This role is essential, on the one hand, to help meet the growing need to accelerate research and scientific, technological and industrial progress and, on the other hand, to strengthen the capacity of European industry to grow, build upon such progress, and translate these advances into tangible outcomes on the path towards fusion energy.

The intangible assets accumulated by F4E over the years through the implementation of the ITER and Broader Approach projects, and further reinforced by the highly specialised profiles of its staff, should be fully recognised, preserved and mobilised in support of a coordinated European fusion strategy.

At present, the European landscape appears uncertain: it undoubtedly holds considerable potential, yet it also entails a serious risk of fragmentation and localism, rather than convergence towards a coherent, robust and genuinely European strategic vision.

In this context, we would like to share with you, and respectfully submit for your consideration, what we believe to be the essential preconditions for enabling F4E to fulfil the role it deserves, not only with regard to ITER, but also in the shaping and implementation of the European fusion programme.

First, F4E must be strengthened as an organisation and supported in emerging from a crisis that has now become structural, and to which we have no intention of resigning ourselves.

In this respect, we call upon you to ensure that the problems we have repeatedly highlighted — and which have been consistently confirmed by all staff consultations — are now addressed effectively and without further delay.

Visible, credible and effective measures must now be put in place.

Years of failure, systematically disregarded survey findings, record-low levels of trust in senior management and in the transparency of procedures, inadequate protection for victims, and repeated attempts to dismiss staff concerns as exaggerated, isolated or statistically insignificant can no longer be met by statements of intent, assurances alone, or yet another action plan, however carefully presented.

These concerns must now be addressed rapidly, decisively and credibly, and remedial measures worthy of the name must be introduced without delay.

Mindful of our responsibilities as the leading trade union in the European civil service, and faithful to our commitment to always accompany our critical analyses with proposals for measures designed to address the difficulties identified, we first presented a very detailed analysis of these results ( link ) and subsequently submitted to the Director of F4E and the Governing Board a genuine action plan setting out the necessary measures, prepared with the support of the highly experienced experts assisting us and drawing on the best available knowledge in this field ( link ). We were subsequently pleased to note the Chair of the Governing Board’s response, confirming that our analyses and proposals would be duly considered.

Second, a clear strategic vision is needed

F4E should be endowed with the mandate, resources and the tools necessary to serve as a strong and credible bridge between research and industry, and between ITER, the Broader Approach, and the future fusion power plant, DEMO.

Conclusion

Your political impetus is needed more than ever, as it is now beyond dispute that, despite the efforts made by its management, F4E is not in a position to overcome these structural difficulties on its own, or to put in place effective and credible remedial measures by itself.

In this respect, there can be no doubt that your visit to F4E sends a clear and powerful signal in the right direction, a visit for which we had called and which we are pleased to see now taking place.

These efforts must continue and be stepped up, and should also be matched by closer and more effective engagement and support from DG ENER.

As we have already underlined, what is at stake goes far beyond individual responsibilities.

It concerns the institutional credibility of F4E, the credibility of the Commission itself, confidence in F4E’s ability to fulfil its mandate — particularly with regard to ITER — and its capacity and legitimacy to assume an expanded role within the framework of the European fusion strategy.

Cristiano SEBASTIANI

President

Copy:

Mr M. Gil Tertre, Head of Cabinet Vice-President Ribera

Mr G. Radziejewski, Head of Cabinet; Ms A. Carrero, Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Serafin

Ms L. Naesager, Chief confidential Counsellor

Ms I. Juhansone, Secretary-General; Mr P. Leardini, Deputy Secretary-General

Ms D. Juul-Joergensen, DG ENER Director-General; Mr J. Panek, Director “Nuclear energy, safety, and ITER Mr M. Coppola

M. M. Huebel, Commission’ representative in the F4E’ Governing Board

M. M. Lachaise, Director Fusion for Energy (F4E)

Staff