BfS plans public briefing on "emergency preparedness" and "drainage"

After the statement of the Working Group on Retrieval (AGO) reached the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) on 18 November, an important basis and prerequisite are now given for a public briefing on the topic “emergency preparedness”. However, no BfS staff members will take part in the event on the same topic organised by the Asse-2 Monitoring Group to take place on 20 November. Originally, the A2B had invited to a jointly prepared public debate. But it was foreseeable at an early stage that the statement would either not be available at all or only on short notice before 20 November. Therefore, the BfS was forced to cancel its participation; at the same time it offered to reschedule the meeting. The Asse-2 Monitoring Group did not follow this proposal.

No basis for proper preparation

In several letters, the BfS repeatedly pointed out how important it was to wait for the joint statement of the AGO, in order to maintain an objective and round discussion. However, such a tight time-frame of two working days is no basis for a proper preparation. On the one hand, there is no time to evaluate the result of the AGO. On the other hand, it is not feasible to process the topic in a manner that it is comprehensible for the general public.

Dual-track approach not in correspondence with proper co-operation

Therefore, following a thorough examination of the AGO statement, the BfS will organise a separate event in order to fulfil its duty to inform the public. Unfortunately, such a dual-track approach will neither contribute to a good co-operation nor to the actual challenges of the Asse project. The date of the informative briefing by the BfS will be announced timely on the internet and/or the media.