On December 31, 2023, the Swedish NGO Office for Nuclear Waste Review, MKG, enters a new phase. The office in Gothenburg is closed, the organisation no longer has any staff. In 2024, the board takes over the helm and the MKG will continue to work with voluntary efforts.
MKG was started in the fall of 2004 and for the first time received funds from the nuclear waste fund for 2005. Since March 2005, MKG has had an office in Gothenburg with 2-3 employees. The director has been Johan Swahn.
The Swedish government that came to power after the 2022 elections has shown little interest in supporting civil society organizations. Already in February 2023, MKG learned that there will be no further government budget funds for 2024 for environmental NGO work with nuclear waste issues. This concludes a nationally and internationally recognized successful 19-year support to improve the opportunity for environmental organizations to participate in decision-making processes related to the complicated issues of nuclear waste.
As late as the summer of 2022, the previous government put forward a proposal to support long-term continued funds to environmental organizations and nuclear waste municipalities for work on nuclear waste issues. When the current government submitted a bill on the issue to the Riksdag on 23 November 2023, however, the funds for environmental organizations were removed. Although it was only the nuclear power industry that did not want to see continued funds.
During 2023, MKG has used the last year's reduced funds to continue the work at a lower level and at the same time dismantle the office in Gothenburg. The last employee, the director, left on 31 December 2023.
During the year, it was decided that MKG should continue without the office. The bylaws have been changed and the board has prepared to take over full responsibility for the work.
Naturally, work will be more limited in the future. Although it is considered important that MKG's website remains - not least for its historical description of everything that happened in nuclear waste Sweden for almost 20 years - it is unclear to what extent the page will be updated.
Am issue of particular interest to the board is the question of "Memory to the future", how will it be possible to transfer information about the danger of nuclear waste to future generations through the millennia.
Correspondence to MKG can be sent to info [at ]mkg.se.
