Publication details
Belarusian atomic power plant in astravyets - problems with public participation in the environmental impact assessment and permit proce
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | 4th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Sciences and Arts - conference proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2017/12 |
| Field | Law sciences |
| Keywords | Espoo Convention; environmental impact assessment;public participation in environmental matters |
| Description | This article is dealing with problems in implementation of Espoo Convention that both Belarusia and Lithuania are party to. It is focused on problems with participation of the public in transboundary environmental impact assessment procedure and in consequent permit procedure that occurred in relation to construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant in Astravyets. The case discovered problems with interpretation and enforcement of specific provisions of Espoo Convention. The main problems lie in requirements for “reasonable time”, in the gap in procedural rules leading to affected party public’s inability to participate in foreign EIA similarly to the public of the party of origin, in the lack of rules ensuring solid and clear communication between the two states and rules ensuring good quality of EIA documents and translations of EIA documents. Specific provisions of Espoo Convention were analysed to show that problems with their interpretation result in possible non-compliance with the international law requirements. |