Public Participation

Public participation is one of the prerequisites for the repository search to succeed. For the affected region will only be able to tolerate the identified site if the procedure is transparent and the decision is comprehensible.

Extensive opportunities for participation

For this reason, the legislator has defined a wide range of participation opportunities for citizens, and BASE is tasked with their implementation. The Site Selection Act provides for various committees and formats that facilitate continuous public participation throughout the entire repository search procedure. One of them is the expert conference on sub-areas, which was launched mid-October. 2021 This online event was recorded and can be viewed on the BASE YouTube channel. Three expert conference consultation meetings took place in February, June and August 2021 respectively. As a next step, regional conferences will be convened, and the Council of the Regions will be established. Information on the participation formats can be found on the repository search information platform.

Online consultations, workshops and conferences

Since the beginning of the search process, BASE has provided numerous opportunities for public information and participation that went beyond the legal requirements. This so-called "informal" participation included, for example, online consultations, youth participation workshops or the citizens' conference. There was an online consultation on BGE mbH’s interim report until 20/08/2021, offering people the chance to comment on the first interim results. The comments submitted were handed over to BGE mbH in September 2021, together with the results of the expert conference on sub-areas.

The legislator has not specified public participation formats for the period between the sub-areal conference and the regional conferences. At this stage, the design is up to the actors involved in the process. BASE has pursued a cooperative approach and developed a concept together with representatives of civil society. This participation concept was adopted at a public event in November 2021, and comprises the planning team Forum Repository Search and a public Repository Search Forum (Forum Endlagersuche, formerly Fachforum Teilgebiete). The aim of the concept is to ensure comprehensibility and transparency for the upcoming work of BGE mbH in the repository search procedure, to ensure continuity.

The siting decision is made by the elected representatives of the people

There is no comparable infrastructure project in Germany providing such comprehensive opportunities for public participation. The decision on the final repository site is also a form of indirect participation. The siting decision will be made by the Bundestag, i.e.the members of parliament elected by the citizens.

Can the participation formats be changed in the course of the process?

The repository search is designed as a "self-questioning and learning process". The actors in the site selection procedure - BASE, BGE mbH and the National Citizens’ Oversight Committee - are called upon to regularly review, further develop and, if necessary, adapt the existing participation formats.