A partnership approach has been put in place in Belgium to develop proposals for facilities for the long-term management of low-level and short-lived intermediate-level waste (LILW) [18]. This means that the local community is directly involved in developing both the facility design and a socioeconomic package for their area. Initially, three such partnerships were set up, leading eventually to two neighbouring municipalities (Dessel and Mol in the province of Antwerp – Flanders region) expressing an interest in hosting a repository facility. In June 2006, the Federal government decided on surface disposal in Dessel as the final destination for Belgian short-lived LILW. Since that decision, the remaining partnerships (STORA in Dessel and MONA in Mol) have both been closely involved in the development of the integrated repository project.

The following sections outline some of the main elements characterising the partnerships.