Staged Decision Making

1
Staged Decision Making

• Evelyn Hooft
• ONDRAF/NIRAS

2
Belgium in short Federal State

• Surface area 32 545 km²
• Population 10 396 421 inh. (2003)
• Population density 319 inh./km² (2003)
• Maximum distance between two points 280 km
• Federal capital Brussels
• National languages French, Dutch, German

3
Belgium in short Federal State

• Federal state with wide powers for communities
  and regions
• Three (cultural) communities
• Three (economic) regions
• 10 provinces
• 589 municipalities

4
Key elements

• The way a decision is taken as important as the
  content of a decision
• Clarity of competences between different levels
• Difference between opinion-making versus
  decision-making
• Involvement of all parties in setting up a
  decision-making scheme not easy to reach on a
  national level
•  nuclear  not a popular issue
• No equivalent of a partnership possible on a
  national level
• ? Tailor made decision making process

5
National Decision-making Scheme
NIROND 94-01 report public deadlock
Foundation ONDRAF/NIRAS
NIROND 97-04 report alternatives
Interim storage
T e c h - n i c a l
a p p r o a c h
1997
16 Jan. 1998
1987
1994
1982
1981
Government decision disposal for cat.A-waste
Stop disposal at sea
6
Local Decision-making Scheme
Creation of PaLoFF
Municipal councils decide
Creation of MONA
Dessel YES
Mol YES
Fleurus-Farciennes NO
Creation of STOLA
30 09 1999
27 02 2003
09 02 2000
25 04 2005
23 02 2006
27 01 2005
MAY 2006
16 01 1998
05 11 2004
27 01 2005
21 12 2005
Government opts for definitive solution
Submission of ONDRAF/NIRAS concluding report
STOLA report submitted to Dessel municipality
MONA report submitted to Mol municipality
PaLoFF report submitted to Fleurus Farciennes
municipalities
7
Decision-making Scheme
Operating licence
Binding agreement Miscellaneous licences
Implementation decision
Decision 23/06/2006
Decision 16/01/1998
Preliminary design studies
2016-2021
2011
2006
1998
Project
Implementation
Operation
Complete design of an integrated surface disposal
project in Dessel
Four integrated preliminary designs for disposal
four sets of  preliminary design or disposal
facility site conditions" with broad local
support
8
Conclusion

• Double role of ONDRAF/NIRAS
• Part in the elaboration of the integrated
  projects
• Not expected and not forecasted part of the
  national decision making process
• National decision making process
• Different rationale
• No appropriate concertation structure
• Decision based on additional criteria (not
  recognized by all)
• Importance of accepted criteria on which a
  decision should be based on all levels
• Feeling of betrayel

9
Lessons learnt

• A decision making process on all levels should be
  well prepared
• Need of appropriate concertation structures on
  all levels
• Local level partnerships
• National level ?
• Need of time to prepare a decision
• Local level 1998 - 2006
• National level a few months