In the years 2008 to 2010, ITAS supported dialog-oriented processes related to the difficult situation regarding the disposal of radioactive waste in Germany. The interested public, central stakeholders, the energy industry, and governmental organizations were also involved.

At first, the focus of the activities was on the "Internationales Endlagersymposium 2008" (International Final Disposal Symposium 2008) to which national and international disposal experts were invited to Berlin. Since the establishment of a final disposal site for highly radioactive, heat-generating waste had been blocked for quite some time in Germany, the disposal symposium was meant to contribute to reopening the dialog between politicians, the interested public, researchers, and responsible players. At this symposium, ITAS assumed central organizational tasks and was in charge of the scientific moderation.

The International Final Disposal Symposium took place in Berlin from 30 October to 1 November 2008, by invitation of the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU). Among the participants were experts and citizens from the German regions that were under consideration for becoming final disposal sites. Since this event was rated as successful, a follow-up on "safety requirements" for the final disposal of highly radioactive waste was organized in March 2009 (Berlin 2009) and finally the Forum Endlager-Dialog (FED) was founded (2009 - December 2010).

Background information and conference material can be found at the websites of BMU and ITAS.

The conference proceedings of the International Final Disposal Symposium were published in April 2010 and can be obtained at ITAS (Hocke/Arens 2010). The presentations and discussions at the symposium were recorded. The corresponding audio files are available for listening. The conference program and, partially, the slides of the lecturers were also documented. Further information, especially on safety requirements, as well as the online forum of the Final Disposal Symposium 2008, which was launched by BMU in mid-December 2008, can be found at the webpages of BMU.

• A dialog event on the draft of the "safety requirements" by BMU took place in March 2009 in Berlin.
• As a national investigation group for searching a resort regarding the final disposal conflict, the "Forum Endlager-Dialog" was established in the summer of 2009. ITAS resigned from the moderation of the FED in December 2010. Since then, the group is inactive.

Armin Grunwald (2010)
Ethische Anforderungen an nukleare Endlager. Der ethische Diskurs und seine Voraussetzungen. In: Hocke and Arens 2010, pp.73-84

Peter Hocke, Georg Arens (2010)
Die Endlagerung hochradioaktiver Abfälle. Gesellschaftliche Erwartungen und Anforderungen an die Langzeitsicherheit, Tagungsdokumentation zum "Internationalen Endlagersymposium Berlin, 30.10. bis 01.11.2008". Karlsruhe / Berlin / Bonn
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Peter Hocke, Regine Barth, Armin Grunwald, Beate Kallenbach-Herbert, Sophie Kuppler, Ortwin Renn, Michael Reuss (2010)
Schlüsselentscheidungen und -maßnahmen für einen gehaltvollen Dialogprozess. Auftragsarbeit für das BMU zum Thema nukleare Entsorgung, Karlsruhe, 7 S. und 2. Abb. (veröffentlicht in: Technikfolgenabschätzung - Theorie und Praxis 19/3 (2010), S. 91-97)
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A summarizing assessment (Hocke 2009) of the workshop "Sicherheitsanforderungen an die Endlagerung wärmeentwickelnder Abfälle" (Safety requirements for the final disposal of heat-generating waste) that took place in March 2009 in Berlin as well as a digital audio recording of the introductory lectures and the statement of the two rapporteurs are available.

Audio file of the reports by the two rapporteurs Jürgen Voges (journalist) and Peter Hocke (FED/ITAS at KIT)
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"With the moderation of the 21st FED meeting on 10 December 2010 in Hanover, ITAS resignes from the scientific moderation of the pluralistic investigation group. As the present boundary conditions do not allow for a broad dialog process with civil society and stakeholder integration, ITAS does not see a possibility to contribute with its experience in this area in a beneficial way. We would like to thank the FED members as well as all the supporters for their commitment in this matter."