WP 2 Appendix 9 Principles and Good Practices for Local Actors to Influence National Decision-Making Processes

The outcomes of policy-making in radioactive waste management (RWM) should be driven by the will of the people through democratic processes. Achieving this inclusiveness requires good practices to increase local influence on what is essentially a national policy process. However inclusiveness poses significant practical problems; can society afford lengthy and costly consultation processes, often perceived as inefficient and ineffective? Local stakeholders and national actors need to learn how to achieve this inclusiveness so that both groups feel committed to the outcomes of the policy process. In this document I offer a list of principles and good practices for local stakeholders to influence RWM policy-making. Overall for an effective local influence it is necessary to achieve policy processes that engage stakeholders at each stage. There are a variety of possible communication channels linking actors and stakeholders. Good practices emerge from the need and desire to make these channels effective. In this context, anything that improves their performance and quality for the purpose of an inclusive RWM policy process is considered a good practice.