Public participation

The right to participation

Every day, projects are approved in Germany that have an impact on nature and the environment. These include, for example, the construction of livestock facilities, power plants or highways, or decisions and changes to plans such as land use and development plans in municipalities. Special rights apply to these projects so that citizens can participate in them.

Public participation gives the public the opportunity to comment on these projects orally and/or in writing and to make suggestions for changes and improvements as well as to express general reservations. In principle, public participation is divided into formal participation, which is prescribed by law, and informal, supplementary participation.

The laws on formal participation in Germany are largely based on the Aarhus Convention and the implementation of EU directives and are laid down in the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG), among others. These include, for example, the display of (planning) documents with a subsequent opportunity for the public to comment and a subsequent discussion meeting to discuss the comments.

Our work in this area

UfU works at many levels on the subject of public participation. In various projects at both national and EU level, UfU informs environmental and nature conservation associations and citizens about their participation rights and works to facilitate the opportunities to exercise these rights, for example through digital participation options. In addition, UfU conducts research on various issues in this field and, for example, monitors and evaluates public participation in Germany. On the basis of this diverse knowledge base, UfU also assumes an advisory role and develops recommendations for the design and improvement of public participation processes in various contexts.