E-Participation Environment – Strengthening electronic participation rights in environmental protection (Original: “E-Partizipation Umwelt”)

Participation, digitalisation and environmental protection. How can they work together? In the project, UfU is investigating the opportunities and limitations of digital participation instruments for public participation in environmentally relevant administrative procedures in Germany.

Background:

In times of the Covid19 pandemic, the need for electronic participation formats has become greater than ever. The particular challenges posed by the pandemic required swift legislative action and ad hoc measures, including in planning. In order to ensure public participation in environmentally relevant administrative procedures, such as the approval of wind turbines, even during the pandemic, the legislator enacted the Planungsicherstellungsgesetz (PlanSiG).

The PlanSiG provides the possibility of conducting public participation in environmentally relevant procedures electronically and, for example, organising hearings in which objections to planning and approval procedures are discussed as video conferences. This represents a major step towards digitalisation.

However, this also raises many questions and challenges: How can participation be transferred to online formats without losing important participation elements? What new opportunities does digital participation open up and what obstacles does it present?

Aim & approach of the project:

In the practice-orientated project, UfU is devoting itself in detail to the topic of digital participation. The aim of the project is firstly to identify the minimum legal requirements for digital public participation. Best-practice examples are then identified. The needs of the public and authorities for digital public participation are systematically determined through the accompanying observation and interviews with various experts.

Practical guide as project result

The project results from theory and practice are summarised in the online guide „Digitale Beteiligung souverän gestalten“. The legal foundations of digital public participation and a wide range of practical experiences have been compiled in the form of a website and thus provide a low-threshold introduction to the planning and implementation of formal digital public participation. The guide is aimed in particular at public authorities that implement digital participation formats or are interested in trying to implement them for the first time. It also serves as an overview of digital participation and legal principles for the interested public. On the website „Digitale Beteiligung souverän gestalten“, you will find lots of background information and practical tips for digital participation formats that you can use according to your level of knowledge and needs.