Is there a parliamentary reservation with regard to reprocessing technology?

The decision whether the F.R.G. shall commit itself to closing the nuclear fuel cycle and start using plutonium as an energy source may not be taken implicitly, by the licensing competence of the executive organs, but is a problem falling into the area reserved to the decision of Parliament on the basis of a systematic and comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. Because there are novel and essential developments and research results regarding the reprocessing of nuclear fuels, Parliament has to react by 'backfitting' the Atomic Energy Act. Until Parliament has fulfilled this duty, the licensing authorities do not have the competence to grant permits for large-scale processing or storage of plutonium, nor does the Federal Minister of the Interior have any right to instruct the licensing authorities accordingly. (orig./HSCH)