ACN Round Table on RWM 2021

AARHUS CONVENTION AND NUCLEAR (ACN) ROUND TABLE ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT (RWM)

13-15 January 2021

Online

The European Commission (DG ENER) and Nuclear Transparency Watch (NTW) organized an “Aarhus Convention and Nuclear” Roundtable that was held from January 13th to January 15th 2021. The objective was to gather concerned stakeholders by Radioactive Waste Management (operators, regulators and institutional representatives, experts and researchers, NGOs, civil society representatives) in order to discuss concrete implementation of the Aarhus Convention principles (public information and participation). More than 170 persons registered, from 24 countries and with very various backgrounds.

>> See the videos here <<

Agenda

• Agenda in English
• Agenda en français

Presentations

Introduction

• Ms Nadja Zeleznik, chair of Nuclear Transparency Watch
• Mr Massimo Garribba, Deputy Director General, DG ENER

Session 1 – Implementation of the information and public participation provisions of the Radioactive Waste Directive (2011/70/Euratom)

• Implementation of the Radioactive Waste Directive in the EU: findings and recommendations of the second EC report to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, Mr Gianfranco Brunetti, Deputy Head of Unit DG ENER D.2
• Civil Society Joint Project: report on the implementation of the Waste Directive (as a third-party review), updated on the basis of the outcomes of the 2nd report of the Commission adopted on December 17th, 2019, Ms Gabriele Mraz, NTW and Ms Patricia Lorenz, Friends of the Earth
• View of a representative of the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Mr Robert Harbers
• View of a representative of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Mr Kristoffer Brix Bertelsen 
• The BEPPER Report on Transparency in Radioactive Waste Management: Improving national RWM transparency in the EU by effective implementation of the Aarhus Convention in the context of Article 10 on Transparency in the Nuclear Waste Directive, Mr Johan Swahn, NTW/MKG

Session 2 – National feedbacks on recent public engagement processes along RWM

Germany Roundtable – update on RWM public engagement in Germany

• Mr Jochen Ahlswede, BASE
• Ms Astrid Goebel and Ms Dagmar Dehmer, BGE
• Mr Jo Leinen, Nationales Begleitgremium (NBG)

United Kingdom Roundtable – overview of recent developments on RWM siting procedures

• Mr Mike Brophy, Head of Stakeholder Engagement in siting team of RWM and representative of NDA
• Mr Colin Wales, Cumbria Trust

France Roundtable – 2019 public debate on the RWM national plan

• Mr Aurélien Louis, French Ministry of Sustainable Development
• Ms Delphine Pellegrini, IRSN
• Mr Jean-Claude Delalonde, ANCCLI 

Czech Roundtable

• Ms Hana Konvalinkova, Platform against deep underground repository
• Mr Lukas Vondrovic, SURAO

Sweden Roundtable

• Mr Ingvar Persson, legal expert for the Swedish Council for Nuclear Waste
• Mr Bengt Hedberg, Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM)
• Mr Johan Swahn, MKG

Session 3 – Recent developments in civil society access to expertise and research

• EC vision on the question of transparency in the field of research, Mr Roberto Passalacqua, DG RTD D.4 “This communication has not been endorsed by the European Commission DG RTD. However the summary of the slides is made available here.”
• Feedback from innovative processes in interaction with Civil Society in MODERN 2020, Ms Anne Bergmans, University of Antwerp 
• The SITEX European network of experts on RWM (involving TSOs, Regulators and Civil Society Experts), Mr Valéry Detilleux, Bel V
• Feedback from innovative processes in interaction with Civil Society in SITEX-II and JOPRAD, Mr Gilles Heriard-Dubreuil, Mutadis
• The EURAD platform and corresponding processes of Interaction with Civil Society, Ms Louise Théodon, ANDRA, EURAD coordinator
• The ENTRIA Research project in Germany combining technical and social aspects of Radioactive Waste Management, Mr Klaus-Jurgen Röhlig, TU Clausthal

>> see the summary of discussion for Session 3 <<

Final Round Table – Improving existing arrangements on information and public participation in the field of RWM in Europe: the way forward

• Mr Jan Haverkamp, NTW
• Mr Jonas Ebbesson, Chair of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC)
• Ms Zuzana Petrovičová, Head of Unit DG ENER D.2 “Nuclear energy, nuclear waste and decommissioning” 
• Ms Nina Cromnier, Head of the Swedish Regulatory Authority and ENSREG member
• Mr Jakop Dalunde, MEP (Greens)
• Mr Valéry Detilleux, SITEX network
• Ms Astrid Goebel, IGD-TP

>> see the summary of discussion for the Final Round Table <<

Conclusion

• Ms Zuzana Petrovičová, Head of Unit DG ENER.D.2 “Nuclear energy, nuclear waste and decommissioning”
• Ms Nadja Zeleznik, chair of Nuclear Transparency Watch