Federal Environment Minister Hendricks inaugurates new BfS President

With a festive ceremony in Salzgitter, Federal Environment Minister Dr. Barbara Hendricks inaugurated the new President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Dr. Inge Paulini. Paulini succeeds Wolfram König who had headed the authority for the past 18 years. König was appointed President of the newly established Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BfE) in 2016 and continued to direct the business of the management for a transitional phase.

At the same time, the staff turnover marks a content-related break for the BfS. After the transfer of tasks in the field of nuclear waste management to the new Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management and to the BGE (the federally-owned company responsible for radioactive waste disposal), the BfS will concentrate on the federal tasks of radiation protection, as reported in the press release of the Federal Environment Ministry.

About the persons

Dr. Inge Paulini had been Secretary General of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) in Berlin since 2009. After studying ecotrophology in Bonn and completing her studies with the Master of Science in nutrition science in Pullman/USA, Paulini received her doctor’s degree (Dr. rer. nat.) in biology at the University of Hannover in 1991. From 1993 to 2008, she worked for the Federal Environment Agency, most recently as head of the General Policy Division focussing on sustainability strategies, environmental law, and environment economy. She is member of a number of advisory boards and bodies on the topic sustainable development.

Wolfram König was appointed President of the BfS in 1999. From 2002 to 2003, he headed the “Radar Commission”, which dealt with the question as to what dangers posed exposure to radiation in former radar facilities of the Federal Armed Forces of the National People's Army. During his time as President, the BfS also organised one of the most comprehensive research programmes on the utilisation of mobile communication technology. In particular the tasks in the field of radioactive waste disposal were characterising public awareness of the authority. As President of the BfS, König was at the same time entrepreneur of the Asse and Gorleben mines as well as the Morsleben and Konrad repository projects. 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.