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Problem and Purpose
An initiative designed to involve as many Belgian actors and citizens as possible in the making of a plan for the long term management of the Belgian high radioactive waste from beginning and preparation of the decision making process.
The problem is that you have a highly controversial and technical problem (namely: what are we going to do with the high radioactive waste in Belgium) with a lot of societal and ethical aspects and a lot of political discussion. In Belgium, these kind of discussions tended to be held with closed doors, within a committee of experts. As a consequence of that, every kind of decision taking in this field always faced a big societal controverse with really opposing parties.
History
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Originating Entities and Funding
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Participant Recruitment and Selection
Targeted groups include: experts, all kinds of midfield groups (environmental,unions, employers organizations, sustainable development, family organizations) and – to a large extend – ordinary citizens. Many thousands of people were also informed about the project via online communication and press. A lot of attention was paid to gather a diverse group (gender, professional background, education, race, dissabilities). Although it was not always as successful as probably hoped for, there was a wide range of diversity in the participating groups.
Methods and Tools Used
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Deliberation, Decisions, and Public Interaction
The process was build up in two large phases of consultation: the societal consultation and the participative consultation.
The societal consultation consisted out of a number of events where NIRAS/l'ONDRAF consulted experts, stakeholders and citizens on the evaluation criteria that should be used when evaluating the different options for high radioactive waste management in Belgium. The evaluation criteria that were produced by these groups where used in the environmental assessment report that will be handed over to the Belgian government.
The participatieve consultation was implemented with the aim of supporting the Belgian government in the decision making process itself. It was modelled following the traditional method of a consensus conference and resulted in a report that focusses on the principles that the Belgian government should take into account when they will take their final decision on the management option for high radioactive waste management in Belgium. This report will be handed over directly to the Belgian government.
Influence, Outcomes and Effects
By involving as many actors and citizens as possible already in the making of a plan, so in the very beginning of the decision taking process in this area, NIRAS/l’ONDRAF at least tries to take into account as much as societal considerations as possible. The project resulted not only in a critical review, by experts, stakeholders and citizens of the different options for high radio-active waste management in Belgium, but also in an advisory report from a group of Belgian citizens that focusses on the principles that the Belgian government should take into account when they will take their final decision on the management option for high radioactive waste management in Belgium. This report will be handed over directly to the Belgian government.
Analysis and Lessons Learned
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Links
Note
The original version of this case study first appeared on Vitalizing Democracy in 2010 and was a contestant for the 2011 Reinhard Mohn Prize. It was originally submitted by Stef Steyaert.
