Studies on direct disposal of spent fuel started in Germany in 1979. F
rom 1985 to 1995, a research and development (R&D) project was conduct
ed, the objective of which was to develop direct disposal to technical
maturity. The main results of this project are presented. As a conseq
uence of this R&D effort, the German Atomic Energy Act was amended in
1994, eliminating the priority of reprocessing and recycling over dire
ct disposal. The judgment of direct disposal by politicians and the nu
clear community was subject to change during the period from 1980 thro
ugh 1995. While initially technical feasibility was the dominating iss
ue, the picture changed after the Act had been amended. Evidence of gu
aranteed Entsorgung, meaning all steps at the back end of the fuel cyc
le and which is provided by foreign reprocessing contracts, turned out
to be an important decision criterion.