The Politics of Radioactive Waste Management
Public Involvement and Policy-Making in the European Union
Routledge Studies in Waste Management and Policy Series

Environmental concerns have pushed the decarbonisation of the European economy high on the EU political agenda. This has renewed old debates about the role of nuclear energy in the European economy and society that gravitate around the issues of nuclear safety and radioactive waste management (RWM). RWM carries many elements of technical complexity, scientific uncertainty and social value, which makes policy decisions highly controversial. Public participation is usually believed to improve these decisions, ease their implementation by solving substantial conflicts, and enhance trust and social acceptance.

Drawing upon sources including Euratom and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, the author offers a detailed overview of public involvement in RWM in the EU, analysing the implementation of national policies through official programmes and the views of stakeholders from all Member States. This book highlights the key successes and challenges in the quest for greater participation in RWM, and extrapolates insights for other contested energy infrastructures and controversies in land use.

This book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and practitioners with an interest in radioactive waste management, energy policy, and EU environmental politics and policy.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Foreword

Preface

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Nuclear energy and the management of radioactive waste

Chapter 2 – Public involvement in policy-making

Chapter 3 – The institutional challenge, key issues and stakeholders' needs

Chapter 4 – General principles for public involvement

Chapter 5 – National practices of public involvement

Chapter 6 – The involvement of local stakeholders

Chapter 7 – Public involvement, trust and social acceptance

Chapter 8 Public involvement in RWM: answers and implications

Chapter 9 Conclusions

Index

Gianluca Ferraro is a policy analyst. He has worked for the European Commission and the University of Leuven, Belgium