November 22, 2023
Making participation in the search for a repository fair, legally compliant and responsive across borders.
Research report published
Due to Germany’s location in the middle of Europe, sites close to national borders are also being considered for a deep geological repository for radioactive waste. These repositories have an impact beyond their immediate location and therefore also across borders. For this reason, the foreign public must also be involved in the site selection process, particularly in view of the different legal and socio-cultural contexts in the various neighboring countries. Consequently, the participatory, science-based and learning approach of the site selection process must also be ensured for the foreign public. This was the result of a recent study conducted by the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues and the Öko-Institut on behalf of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management.
The project examined the legal, political and cultural conditions that are important for cross-border public participation in the site selection process for a repository for high-level radioactive waste in Germany for the neighboring states.
The project comprised a systematic literature review of legal and social science literature, a media response analysis in the neighboring countries with regard to reporting on relevant topics relating to the search for a repository, case studies on previous cross-border participation procedures and regional studies on five selected border regions. On the basis of these research steps, recommendations were developed for the design of the legally prescribed formats in the site selection procedure. The project also contributed to opening up fields of research that have been little studied to date. For example, the research work provides contributions to the legal analysis of the legal requirements for cross-border public participation in the context of site selection and a comparative presentation of the experiences of the various neighboring countries with regard to public participation and cross-border cooperation.
The project was funded by the Departmental Research Plan for the Environment of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).
Contact persons:
Franziska Sperfeld (Independent Institute for Environmental Issues)
