25 years of the Aarhus Convention – UfU calls for modern standards in public participation

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Aarhus Convention, which guarantees the rights of the public and environmental organizations in nature and environmental protection, environmental associations, with the support of UfU, are formulating a draft law for modern public involvement.

The Aarhus Convention guarantees citizens and associations the right to information, participation and access to justice in environmental matters. Signed 25 years ago, it is the most important basis for ensuring the participation of the civilian population in infrastructure procedures. Due to digitalization, the regulations that have been converted into national law require modernization. In a legislative proposal by Nabu and BUND, prepared by the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), environmental associations present their proposals for a modern participation law. The background to this is a draft bill from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, which also plans to modernize participation legislation, but is not ambitious enough for the associations. Dr. Michael Zschiesche, Managing Director of UfU: “We welcome the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s draft bill. Unfortunately, however, it falls short of the requirements in terms of user-friendly information, moderation and low-threshold access to discussion meetings. Here, we lack the ambition that digital participation already enables today.” In fact, there is a proliferation in the provision of information. In the relevant EIA portals, information from authorities is sometimes so cryptically named and uploaded in large numbers in an unsorted manner that it is not easy for civil society to access important information. Online consultations and other participation formats have also been difficult to access. The participation of civil society in infrastructure projects is of central importance, especially when these are large-scale (e.g. wind turbines), in order to create acceptance for the projects among the population. A recent study by UfU, Öko-Institut and Leuphana University confirms the positive effects of participation on the quality of environmental protection and the acceptance of infrastructure projects. The Aarhus Convention, signed 25 years ago by 35 signatory states, represents a unique paradigm shift by placing citizen participation at the heart of environmental policy. The right to information, participation and access to justice becomes binding with this international treaty and enables citizens and environmental organizations to obtain information on compliance with environmental regulations and, if necessary, to enforce the rights of nature and the environment in court. The Aarhus Convention is therefore one of the most important foundations for the work of environmental organizations, particularly in the areas of environmental law and participation.

Das Unabhängige Institut für Umweltfragen ist ein wissenschaftliches Institut und eine Bürgerorganisation mit dem Anliegen, bürgernah und zeitkritisch die umweltpolitische Entwicklung schwerpunktmäßig in den neuen Bundesländern zu analysieren und zu befördern. Weitere Informationen zum UfU sind unter https://www.ufu.de zu finden.

Ansprechpartner für diesen Themenkomplex ist Dr. Michael Zschiesche (michael.zschiesche@ufu.de).
Presseanfragen bitte an Jonas Rüffer (jonas.rueffer@ufu.de) senden.