Inge Paulini becomes new BfS President

In the course of the reorganisation in the field of radiation protection and radioactive waste disposal, the federal government made another important personnel decision: Scientist Inge Paulini will lead the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) in future. Paulini takes over the official functions of the previous president, Wolfram König. In August 2016, König was appointed President of the new federal regulatory authority for nuclear waste management, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BfE).

Dr. Inge Paulini

Most recently, Inge Paulini had got involved in climate and sustainability policy. The graduate biologist had been Secretary General of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) in Berlin since 2009. Previously, she had worked for the Federal Environment Agency as head of the General Policy Division focussing on sustainability strategies, environmental law, and environment economy.

On 26 April 2017, Paulini took over an authority which will focus on radiation protection in future, among others in the fields of

• Nuclear emergency preparedness,
• Medical research,
• Mobile communication,
• UV protection, and
• The measuring network for radioactivity in the environment.

The tasks relating to the repository and decommissioning projects Asse, Morsleben, and Konrad and for the Gorleben mine will be transferred to the newly established BGE, the federally-owned company responsible for radioactive waste disposal.

The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BfE) takes over federal regulatory, supervisory and licensing activities in the field of radioactive waste disposal and the aegis for the repository search procedure.

Wolfram König, President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection 1999-2017

König headed the BfS 18 years. Building on his experiences as operator of repository projects and as radiation protection official, he is initiator and co-designer of the current reorganisation in the field of radiation protection and radioactive waste disposal. Among others, he presented the proposals for structural changes in the field of radioactive waste disposal to the Commission Storage of High-Level Radioactive Waste in 2014. The German Bundestag decided the reorganisation in June 2016. Against this background, since he was appointed BfE President, he has continued to perform the tasks as President of the BfS for a transitional period and until his successor starts her work.