From rage to reason

"Who decides what is good, and what is right?" In his welcome speech Prof. Dieter Stolte, Chairman of the Allianz Foundation for Sustainability's Board of Trustees, used this question to introduce the key issue concerning the public protests that have recently become so prevalent. On one side of the divide, he said, you have the angry protesters. Most of these people are not simply against change, but want their concerns to be taken seriously and want to contribute their own expertise. On the opposing side, he continued, are the politicians and the authorities. They are not sure how to deal with these angry protesters, and are quick to label them as ideologically-driven troublemakers or accuse them of not acting in the public spirit.

The latest Benediktbeuern Symposium organized by the Allianz Foundation for Sustainability was dedicated to how the dilemma of "The will of the public versus major projects" can be resolved. The foundation invited some 400 guests to its 17th annual symposium held on May 3 in the Allianz Hall of the venerable and historic Benediktbeuern Monastery in Upper Bavaria.
 
 

Angry protester or constructive activist?

"Who are these angry protesters?" asked Dr. Lutz Spandau, Director of the Allianz Foundation for Sustainability, in his introductory speech to the symposium, and proceeded to cite various studies. According to these, the angry protester is gray-haired, is educated enough to have an in-depth understanding of the issues and thus launch an informed protest, and has both time and money.

For this reason, he continued, those who take to the streets are primarily those who can afford to: people with masters degrees and PhDs – and above all graduate engineers. "But is it enough simply to protest?" asked Spandau. Doesn't society need constructive activists rather than angry protesters? Or would both groups complement each other and ensure a lively civil community?
 
 

Lifeblood of democracy

Claudia Roth, chairperson of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, was the first to address these questions. "Committed citizens are the lifeblood of democracy," she said, and described the most recent protests as a sign that the democratic self-confidence of citizens in Germany has become stronger. For Roth, the fact that people are exercising their right to object is positive.

However, she stressed that certain rules must apply to the interaction of the state and its citizens. She pointed out that equal access of all interest groups to the necessary information must be ensured and that the entire decision-making process must be transparent, but maintained that it is of fundamental importance for parliaments to remain at the center of democratic political decision-making processes.

It is an unavoidable fact of life that referenda called for by citizen movements do not always end as the parties supporting them had hoped, Roth said. "Direct democracy can hurt," was her comment as she reflected on the referenda on shelving the Stuttgart 21 rail project and reforming the school system in Hamburg, both ideas which her party had championed, but which were ultimately rejected by a majority.

Protests despite mediation

Peter Schmitz, Executive Director of Operations at Fraport AG, the company which operates Frankfurt Airport, had a different opinion of public protests. As part of the airport expansion consultation, he told the assembled guests, there was a comprehensive mediation process which became the basis of all legal permissions and ultimately shaped the construction work itself. Yet despite all this, he continued, there were still regular protests at the airport about aircraft noise.

Schmitz sees a tendency toward individualistic thinking when it comes to new generation protest movements such as those against expanding the electricity grid or the airport. In the past, when people joined things like the anti-nuclear the disarmament movements, they were demonstrating for a future they believed would be better for all, he explained, whereas the angry protesters of today think primarily about themselves and their direct surroundings.
 
 

Passionate support for nature conservation

Prof. Beate Jessel is President of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation in Bonn. One of the agency's tasks is to draft guidelines and recommendations on how to ensure species protection during major infrastructure projects. Jessel was unhappy that during the implementation of major projects, environmental considerations are often used as a smokescreen to cover up other deficits, thus making it look like nature conservation groups or agencies are always obstructing projects. This is unfair, she said, because protecting nature and the environment is something German people are passionate about, and there is social consensus on the need to do more to protect nature.

In Jessel's opinion, there is ample opportunity for public consultation on major construction projects such as wind parks or electricity grid expansion projects, and usually all that is needed is for the existing framework conditions to be utilized better. When major projects are planned and implemented in the future, she would like to see openness, honestly and communication at an early stage with the people affected.
 
 

Proactivity in obtaining information important

Jochen Homann explained that he had so far not had any direct contact with angry protesters, but that as President of the Federal Network Agency which is preparing to expand electricity distribution networks as part of the energy turnaround, he sees communication with the public as an important area of energy policy. "Telling people that this is just the way it is doesn't work in this case," said Homann.

Instead, you need to take people's specific concerns seriously and involve them in the planning of projects at an early stage. For this reason, he continued, his authority has created a facility on its website to offer citizens both the relevant information and a chance to make comments. In his opinion, though, the facility is still underused. Homann thinks that people should take more responsibility for finding out information. Alluding to the obligation of state agencies and offices to provide public consultation information, he talked of the obligation of the public to keep themselves informed.
 
 

Flat-rate expenses for constructive activists?

Anke Domscheit-Berg, independent businesswoman, lobbyist for open government and member of the Pirate Party in Germany, disagreed with Homann. She said there had not been enough publicity about the opportunities for the public to be involved in the planning process for the electricity grid expansion, and complained that only a single document was available as a source of information, and that it contained figures which outsiders were unable to verify.

With respect to future consultation processes with the public, she called for the relevant authorities and involved entities to show more conviction. Documents made available to the public must be written in accessible language, said Domscheid-Berg, and in general there should be more time to reflect on them.

She also suggested that in order to enable people of lesser financial means to become involved in public consultation processes, payment of flat-rate expenses should be considered. And finally, she thought it would be a good idea to have a budget allocated to each public consultation process which the persons affected by the project could use as they saw fit to pay for expert reports or expert consultants of their choice.
 
 

Mega-issue: Nuclear waste repositories

In the ensuing discussion there was agreement that early, comprehensive public consultation is a key requirement for the successful implementation of major projects. In addition to achieving the energy turnaround, the guests also identified a further "mega-issue" which needs to be resolved and which requires as great a public consensus as possible, namely the location of a repository for the radioactive waste generated by German nuclear power stations.

Claudia Roth remarked that with the Enquete-Kommission envisaged by the Federal Government and the Bundesländer, things are heading in the right direction. Like the ethics commission "Securing energy supplies" that was created to examine suggestions made in relation to the energy turnaround, a commission with 24 members including representatives from environmental groups, churches, academia, business, trade unions, the Federal Government and the Bundesländer will hold a series of public meetings between now and 2015 to draw up criteria for conducting an impartial search of the entire the country for a repository site.
 
 

From Saul to Paul

If Saul could go from being a persecutor of early Christians to spreading the Christian gospel as the Apostle Paul, then why can't an angry protester turn into a constructive activist?" asked Foundation Director Spandau in his closing remarks. Being a constructive activist is much more difficult, he noted, because that requires a person to develop a concept, whereas being an angry protester simply involves an emotional reaction.

Given the monumental political, social, economic and ecological problems that society must overcome, Spandau said he hopes for a new passion for the future, a desire to shape it, and a willingness to seek solutions to problems. He then reiterated that the Allianz Foundation for Sustainability wants to continue to contribute to this – primarily via its Benediktbeuern Symposia.
 
 

Evening welcome event

The Benediktbeuern Symposium officially began on Thursday 2 May with the traditional evening welcome event. After the welcome speeches, national and international award-winning film-maker Jan Haft screened his latest environmental movie "The Moor". This impressively shot movie showed the amazing biodiversity of this little-known habitat, and was also a quiet appeal to preserve the few remaining moor landscapes.

A musical conclusion to the evening was then provided by Hans-Jürgen Buchner, well-known for his appearances with his band Haindling, but this time treating guests to a rare solo performance on the grand piano.
 
 

2014 Symposium

The 18th Benediktbeuern Symposium will take place on May 8 and 9, 2014.

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