PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ
Paris, 4 November 1996

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) announces the publication of the proceedings of an international seminar held last year in Rauma (Finland) to take stock of information strategies and means of addressing public concerns in relation to the management of nuclear waste, and reflect on ways to address future challenges in this field.

The management of radioactive waste, particularly long-lived waste, is one of the key issues which have dominated debates on nuclear energy over the past decade. The future evolution of disposal programmes from the conceptual to the operational phases requires renewed attention to public concerns about ethical, environmental and other issues associated with radioactive waste management.

This meeting, which brought together participants from fifteen industrialised countries, placed special emphasis on the importance of involving the public and local authorities in the issue of proposed sites for future waste repositories, including every step of the decision-making and implementation process, and of building public confidence in the principles which govern the safety of such repositories over the long-term.

This new publication includes the text of the main presentations and a summary of the conclusions of the seminar.

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