Espoo Convention

03/02/2019

http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=50226

The intermediary session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) will be held in conjunction with the intermediary session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment. The...

11/03/2016

On the way to the next

Oped by Sylvia Kotting-Uhl's spokeswoman on nuclear policy of the parliamentary group Alliance 90 / The
Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

Would you like to get on a plane, which has the intended by the manufacturer life by ten or twenty years already passed and already would receive no more new registrations? Exactly like in Europe operators of plants ( ), governments and the notorious nuclear impaired Commission: Dozens old reactors to run far beyond the original expiration date, no new approval procedures and public participation, despite increasing component failure and irreparable design deficits. The so-called long-term operation is the epitome of nuclear irrationality, five years after controls so at the next major incident.

Instead of drawing the appropriate conclusions from Fukushima, Europe continues the previous mistake. Hardly any country attracted as so far serious consequences of the Japanese nuclear disaster. In Germany, the Chancellor moved to the meltdown in high-tech Japan the ripcord. This environmental organizations and Green had achieved the goal of a long struggle. In the EU, it started on the other hand the fact that the nuclear stress tests not the ultimate design and accident safety examined, but the newly conceived "robustness by Cliff Edge effects".

(…)

Less well known, which is one of the most prominent German nuclear experts French border Meilern Fessenheim and Cattenom recently attested: breach of the minimum European requirements, sufficient incident safety. In this country would have the kiln from the grid immediately. There are more examples, their quintessence: Germany is surrounded by risk kilns, and nuclear accidents of our neighbors would probably affect us massively.

This risk can be remedied only by a European phase. Until then, there are realistic and effective opportunities for improvement, our federal government could take the initiative. With existing legal bases could be achieved quickly increased security by exploits their untapped potential and updated appropriately. Concrete examples of the untapped potential: long-term operation under the Espoo Convention without authorization and cross-border participation. The bilateral nuclear commissions henceforth systematic exchange of important documents and reports instead of just talking. No country would even think of, the respective national nuclear regulatory practicing orally, but at plants near the border concise information becomes applicable since the Seventies as the measure of things, even though the contracts give more. Probity and expertise of the technical level remain unused. Third, according to the Aarhus Convention more public participation in important decisions, for example, prior to restart from unplanned shutdowns of longer than six months.

At EU level, needs to be amended, what reason dictates: introduce serious nuclear liability legislation and demand in nuclear safety directive is necessary and not what is possible. Real binding minimum standards would quickly lead to the shutdown of the most dangerous Altmeiler. Furthermore Recurring nuclear tests and peer review every five instead of ten years, and the latter also at the request of the neighboring state. For serious operations as currently in and investigation results must be published without gaps, and neighboring countries get more information rights. All this strengthens the loss prevention and rights of those concerned without lowering national safety standards.

Finally, it must be of the age-old contract reformed or terminated at last. This agreement from 1957 is responsible for ensuring that in an accident affected neighboring countries have nothing say in the safety requirements for the NPP. Each country decides for itself what its Nuclear does or can - Standard response of the Federal Government on questions about their initiatives regarding the safety of border AKW. Given the aging and susceptibility just the risk Meiler on our borders a too convenient response. The security in Europe must be increased, the federal government must take the initiative on this. Otherwise why Europe at the next major incident.

Original language:

Dutzende AKW in Europa haben das Verfallsdatum überschritten. Der Langzeitbetrieb ist nukleare Unvernunft.

11/03/2016

: Länder lay complaints against reactors in Tihange and Doel

The states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate go at international level common action against the continued operation of reactors in the border Belgian stations Tihange and Doel. The cabinets in Dusseldorf and Mainz approved on Tuesday, according to both governments complaints with the European Commission and the supervisory body for the enforcement of the lesser known European Convention.

The two states are of the opinion that Belgium necessarily have an environmental impact assessment before deciding on the lifetime extension of nuclear reactors Tihange 1 and Doel 1 and 2 according to European Directives and with the Espoo Convention must make to the neighboring countries should have been involved. At the conclusion reached by a legal opinion in the common mission of the provincial governments.

"Together with Rheinland-Pfalz we would in North Rhine-Westphalia are among the potentially significantly affected areas when it comes to a nuclear emergency at the age-old reactors and radioactive substances are released", Düsseldorf's Environment Minister Johannes Remmel explained (Green). His country had "substantial doubt" on the reliability and on the legality of the term extension.

"The impact of an accident in Tihange and Doel would not stop at the border of Rheinland-Pfalz", the Rhineland-Palatinate Energy Minister Eveline Lemke told (Green). Overflow time extensions should not be decided without the neighbors. They hope that Belgium will be obliged to make up for the environmental impact assessment.

The complaints addressed to the in and the resident of Control Committee of the Espoo Convention. It is an under the umbrella of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( ) negotiated agreement which requires its members to inform each other in advance of projects with potential transboundary environmental risks. Also Belgium has signed it.

In Germany and the Netherlands there are strong reservations against the power stations Tihange and Doel because of security concerns. Both locations have multiple reactors respectively. Tihange is located approximately 60 kilometers from the German border at Aachen, Doel is located 130 kilometers from the Federal Republic, in northern Belgium.

The reactors Tihange 1 and Doel 1 and 2 were in 1974 to 1975 as a first grid to be initially closed after reaching the age of 40 years, 2015. Belgium extended the operating time later, however, until 2025.

At the reactors of both locations again occurred technical problems and shortcomings. So hairline cracks were discovered on some pressure vessels in ultrasonic testing. The also called on the Federal Government's plan. It agreed with the Belgian Government the establishment of a working group on nuclear safety in power plants as well as mutual investments inspections.

Original language:

Bundesländer legen Beschwerden gegen belgische Reaktoren in Tihange und Doel ein

11/03/2016

: seminar on the application of strategic environmental assessment takes place in

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( ) conducts a seminar on the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment ( ) in Yerevan on March 9-10. As noted in the opening of the National Coordinator of the United Nations workshop, Advisor to the Minister of Environment of Armenia Eleonora Grigoryan, Strategic environmental assessment is a component of the program and totally focused on the integration of green economy objectives in the strategic planning and decision making related to the project activities. "Procedures such as strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment, give a guarantee that the environmental consequences of the decisions will take into account before decisions are made. UNECE is supporting the countries of Eastern Europe partnership in the design and application of the law of SEA and related systems in accordance with the SEA UNECE also assists partner countries in improving existing practices, as well as the legal and institutional framework of the EIA under the Espoo Convention ", - she said. according to She said that for effective implementation of the SEA Protocol in Armenia needs to develop a new law "on environmental expertise", with fixing provisions of the EIA and SEA, the development of appropriate regulations governing the acts regulating the procedure of SEA procedures, the development of real parameters, criteria, regulations and standard. Improvement of the environmental, economic and other techniques, training in the field of environmental assessment, awareness raising and public participation The event was organized jointly with the Ministry of nature protection of Armenia. The purpose of the seminar - to assist persons involved in policy development, the implementation of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol on SEA to the Espoo Convention and the relevant EC directives Convention organizers plan to raise awareness about the recent development of the national SEA legislation in Armenia; clarify the roles of different stakeholders in the process; to hold a discussion on the practical steps of the SEA; to discuss the scope and possible approaches to the SEA.

Original language:

Экологичекие новости: Семинар ООН по применению Стратегической экологической оценки проходит в Ереване

08/03/2016

Environmentalists are asking the to desist from the cause in favor of variant

Ecologists in Action has required the Government of Cantabria to desist from the cause of variant Oyambre and has done so knowing that the Supreme Court has scheduled for next April 12 voting and ruling of the resource that the government introduced in 2012 to the judgment of the Superior Court of Cantabria (TSJC). (…)

This is indicated, as noted by Ecologists in Action, considering that "gross violations" of the Law of Conservation of Cantabria were committed; of the Act declares Oyambre Natural Park; of the Highway Act of Cantabria which regulates the treatment of sections of special ecological protection; Decree on composition and functioning of the boards of trustees of the network of protected natural areas in ; of the Habitats Directive ensures biodiversity conservation of wild fauna and flora; and the Convention on information, participation and access to justice in environmental matters. (…)
Original language:

Ecologistas en Acción ha requerido al Gobierno de Cantabria que desista de la causa sobre la variante de Oyambre y lo ha hecho al conocer que el Tribunal Supremo ha fijado para el próximo 12 de abril la votación y fallo del recurso que el Ejecutivo presentó en 2012 a la sentencia del Tribunal Superi…

06/03/2016

: Reverberi for light target of “ Smart”

The Lombardy Region will intervene through a dedicated call, to support municipalities which intend to finally make "smart" the public lighting networks, combining energy savings at very intelligent services and the possibility of developing precursors: environmental monitoring, the pitches waste management , municipal fleets, connections, video surveillance and messages for emergencies.

For this call will be made available up to 45 million euro depending on the success of the initiative; the purpose is that abatement of light pollution through energy efficiency of public lighting and management costs also taking advantage of the opportunity that the beneficiary is represented by private entities selected for the ex*****on of works under operation of public-private partnerships.

Through these two steps, exposed by Claudia Maria Terzi, Councillor for the , Energy and sustainable Development in the meeting of 29 January in sponsored by Assil, the Lombardy Region is launching a major incentive process and acceleration directed to the municipalities by providing economic resources and legislation for a qualitative leap in service provision to the citizens together with significant energy savings and lower economic costs, in line with the three sets of conditions that define the concept of a sustainability in compliance with the Convention. Enetec Reverberi, which has long been committed to representing the best research and production made in Italy in the areas of remote monitoring and remote management with real-time adaptive control, is on the market with a wide articulation of products, including an innovative and essential sensor for the " " that Lombardy offers local administrators. This is the LTM sensor, which measures the luminance of the road, traffic and assess the weather conditions, a revolution in the way to adjust the luminous flux of the installations of public illumination, as it passes by a way of managing the system from pre-programmed "open loop cycles", to a "closed loop" system which measures in real time the parameters useful to assess instant by instant the better illumination, ie the one that guarantees the safety, but also the lowest consumption.

Original language:

La Regione Lombardia interverrà, attraverso un apposito bando, per sostenere i Comuni che intenderan...

06/03/2016

in compliance with Convention

The Belarusian NPP complies with the requirements of the Espoo Convention, Belarusian Deputy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk said in an interview with the newspaper Lietuvos Rytas, BelTA has learned.

When asked to comment on the claims alleging that it is not in compliance with the Espoo Convention, Mikhail Mikhadyuk said: “Those who say this have probably never read the Convention.”

This multilateral international agreement regulates the interaction between countries in the situation when one country is planning to undertake an activity which can have a negative impact on the environment in another country. The Convention does not provide for any specific requirements to nuclear power plants.

The procedure of interaction envisaged in the Convention includes several stages. The party of origin needs to prepare a report on the environmental impact assessment of the projected facility, discuss this report with the concerned party at the level of government officials and experts, in the format of public consultations. Claims and proposals that are put forward during such discussions should be taken into consideration when making a final decision.

The impact assessment report regarding the Belarusian NPP was prepared in 2009 and submitted to the concerned parties in 2010. International consultations to discuss the report took place in Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine in 2010. There were public consultations in Austria, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The report was revised taking into account all the claims and proposals, and the final report on the environmental impact assessment of the Belarusian NPP was submitted to the concerned parties and the Espoo Convention Secretariat in February 2011. All countries involved, except for Lithuania, were satisfied with the results of the discussions.

“Taking into account Lithuania's complaint to the Espoo Convention, we submitted the text of the EIA report on the environmental impact translated into Lithuanian to the Lithuanian side in 2013. In fact, Lithuania received the report three times: the preliminary version and the final version which had been revised taking into account all the claims and proposals were provided in English, and the final version – in Lithuanian,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk reminded.

In summer 2013, the Belarusian side proposed the Lithuanian government to hold consultations with the general public and Lithuanian government officials in Vilnius. “Unfortunately, the Lithuanian side preferred the tactics of procedural tricks aimed at delaying our final decision regarding the construction of the NPP. In this situation we organized a meeting with Lithuanians in Ostrovets. I took part in that meeting. It was held in the form of full-fledged public consultations with numerous topical issues on the agenda. A full video recording of the event is available in the Internet. By the way, we invited Lithuanian experts, representatives of ministries and MPs to the meeting, but they never showed up,” the deputy minister said.

“In 2014, we prepared and submitted the so-called post-project analysis program to the abovementioned five concerned parties. In accordance with this program, Belarus collects the data of the environmental and radiation monitoring and submits the information to the participants of the program in order to make a joint transparent assessment of the conclusions regarding the environmental impact of the NPP. The only country which is still not working with us on the program is Lithuania,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.

“It means that has fulfilled its obligations within the framework of the Convention, while the Lithuanian side continues using ‘the broken record' method and simply ignores the objective reality,” he concluded.

The Belarusian NPP complies with the requirements of the Espoo Convention, Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk said in an interview with the Lithuanian newspaper Lietuvos Rytas, BelTA has learned.

06/03/2016

: 2.0: Five steps to give power back to the people

As Peter stood in the last weekend, watching Irish politics enter a new phase of uncertainty, he might have been forgiven for saying “I told you so”. Over the past 40 years Emerson has documented the flaws of western electoral systems, highlighting their propensity to produce governments that are either unrepresentative or critically unstable.

As the parties and political commentators discuss the permutations involved to reach the magic number of 79 Dáil seats, Emerson encourages people to reflect on what democracy is about. Written constitutions in the , and “talk about ‘common will’ and the ‘will of the people’; they don’t say 50 per cent of the ballot plus 1 extra vote. Democracy was always meant to be for everybody. Unfortunately we in western Europe have got into a habit of taking majority votes.

(…)

3: Participatory consultation

The 1998 Convention compels decision-making bodies in Europe to give “due account” to public opinion. But, asks the political scientist Dr Vanessa Liston, “what does ‘due account’ mean: a planning department saying, ‘Thank you for your submission but no,’ or giving one reason? That’s not how citizens see ‘due account’ being taken.”

Liston is a founder and the chief executive of CiviQ, which is working with a number of county councils to strengthen local democracy. Traditionally, submissions on a project are made by paper or in closed emails, “so there is no sharing or learning” in advance of the decision being made.

To tackle this CiviQ has designed an online portal that allows people to view each other’s submissions during the consultation phase and to debate their strengths and weaknesses.

Three local authorities have begun using the software, including Fingal County Council , most recently for its consultations on the building of modular housing. “The aim is to join up the different local authorities, so when we look at issues like climate change and flooding we can compare approaches and start to bring data into the discussion.”

By mining the data, she says, “you can compare final decisions with the representations” – to see, for example, whether one lobby group has undue influence. CiviQ did just this when analysing Kilkenny County Council’s decision to build a central access scheme that affected the city’s “medieval mile”. The project caused bitter divisions in Kilkenny, as well as triggering legal actions.

Liston says that CiviQ’s analysis identified four key perspectives among stakeholders, falling under economic, planning, sustainability and democratic headings. But “only the economic perspective was represented at the council meeting”.

In consultations, she says, “sometimes the loudest voices win, and even if they are not winning they silence the quieter voices or those with an alternative perspective”.

But isn’t that the way Irish politics is designed to work? “The older idea of representation is that you’re elected to do what’s in the best interests of the public in your view, but that’s quite an outdated mode of representation. is where everyone has an equal voice to influence a decision.”

(…)

As the parties pick over the results of Ireland’s general election, critics say that our blunt majority-rule system is an outdated form of government

06/03/2016

intends to expand the rights of organizations

The deputies of the Senate in plenary adopted the draft law "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of Kazakhstan on environmental issues" in the first reading, reports Today.kz .

Speaking to MPs, the Minister of of Kazakhstan Vladimir Shkolnik said that the bill provides for the annual publication of a national report on the state of the environment and natural resources, as well as the creation of the state register of pollutant releases and transfers.

"It is expected to make several changes to the article and environmental Tax Code defines the scope of economic activity, which is required to hold public hearings of environmental regulations introduced by the publication of the conclusions of the state ecological examination on an Internet resource..", - Said Shkolnik.

According to the minister, these rules promote transparency and access to environmental information. Also, according to the Convention, the rights of public associations in terms of appeals to court to protect the rights of individuals, acting in the interests of the population. They are exempt from court fees, state duties during the proceedings in court.

"The Environmental Code is supposed to provide for the collection, storage, replenishment, providing the public with comprehensive environmental information. In addition, in order to optimize the work, as well as a comprehensive and systematic consideration of issues on the regulation of greenhouse gases, on the initiative of deputies of these provisions from the draft of RK on transition issues Kazakhstan to " " transferred to the draft law on environmental issues ", - said the Minister.

The bill also provides for bringing the standards of Kazakhstan's legislation in line with the Convention ( - prim.avtora) on access to information and public participation in decision-making and access to justice in matters relating to the environment.

Парламент РК принял законопроект по экологическим вопросам.

02/03/2016

could face court on cutting trees anew

Two more trees on Larnakos Avenue in the Aglandjia municipality of have been chopped down overnight, SigmaLive English was told by a Party official on Tuesday.

Trees on Larnakos Avenue had been cut down at 3:00 am last Thursday, leaving residents shocked when they awoke to find the trees missing after an informal agreement had been made to wait for a court decision on stalling the project. (…)

Alexia Sakadaki, the organisational officer of the , said that the residents now have the right to take the case to the EU Court as it violates agreements in the convention of on the environment. “The Green Party will be bringing this to the attention of the European Parliament,” she added.(…)

Ten more Cypress trees on Larnakos Avenue in the Aglandjia municipality of Nicosia have been chopped down overnight, SigmaLive English was told by a Green...

02/03/2016

: President Poroshenko has approved the ratification of the protocol on the registers of pollutant release and transfer

News

President Petro has signed the law on ratification of the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers of pollutants.

This is stated on the page of the bill №0078 on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, transmit Ukrainian News.

"The law was signed February 26, 2016 returned with the signature of the President.", - Said on its website.

Protocol to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Issues Environment ( Convention ), was signed on May 21, 2003 in , just as in 2014 it was signed by 38 countries that have ratified - 33 and the European Union.

Register of Pollutant Release and Transfer - is a national or regional environmental database, the description of a potentially hazardous chemicals or pollutants that are released into the atmosphere, discharged into water and soil and transported from the territory of enterprises for processing and recycling.

The introduction of the registry will allow not only to the state track and prevent pollution and hazardous emissions, but will also provide the public access to this single unified electronic system of access to environmental information.

As Ukrainian News reported, earlier the Cabinet of Ministers instructed the Ministry of Finance and the State Treasury Service to return the Japanese Organization for the development of new energy and industrial technology unused funds received from the sale of parts of assigned amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

01/03/2016

Протоколом ЕЭК ООН по стратегической экологической оценке (Протокол по СЭО) установлены четкие и прозрачные процедуры интеграции экологических и связанных со...

29/02/2016

: Pseudo sustainability in Peyia
By Linda Leblanc, Peyia Councillor, Coalition of Independents and Green Party

Cyprus Mail
Some remarkable discussions have been happening in Peyia so far this year and, for a change, it’s rather positive, at least for some of us.
Peyia Council has been deliberating the proposed mammoth development on the highest hill above Peyia, an area called Ayia Vouni (Sacred Mountain). Although Peyia is not the planning authority, it will be responsible for issuing a building permit if planning permission is granted by . (…)
You would be correct to think that this project sounds a lot like the disastrous building boom that took place in Peyia over the past 10 years, which has left many badly-built apartment blocks empty and abandoned.
There’s one big difference though: shockingly, this new project is being paraded as sustainable development” in pseudo environmental disguise. There are plans for a small research centre” on environment and health and an EU-funded zero-energy house model. It seems this virgin territory will be sacrificed for sustainable development” with a big dollop of phoney eco buzz and anticipated profits for the developer. If it proceeds, I hope the research centre will document how and why they destroyed an unscathed area of Peyia. (…)
No one aside from me has mentioned EU Directive 35/2003 ( Convention) that provides for the right of the public to participate in decision-making on projects that affect the environment. Let’s hope my request for public consultation is approved and that it takes place in Peyia so that residents can be fully informed and will be able to voice their opinions.
Sadly, the government’s unseemly rush to encourage investment results in backroom deals in Nicosia which are not transparent. Stay tuned, as there are many more mega-projects planned (marinas, golf courses, new cities, Akamas development). (…)

29/02/2016

Assessing public "participation" in decision-making: Lessons learned from the Marine Conservation Zone ( ) site selection process

Vertical News
Investigators discuss new findings in Marine Biology. According to news reporting originating in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by VerticalNews editors, the research stated, "As part of implementing the 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act (MCAA), the UK Government undertook an ambitious program of stakeholder-led site selection projects from 2009-2011 to designate a network of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). This process resulted in a list of 127 proposed MCZ5 designed to conserve biodiversity and reconcile socioeconomic concerns, however, citing budgetary constraints and evidence-related issues, the UK Government has proceeded with a tranche approach, designating far fewer sites than stakeholders had expected."
The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Franklin and Marshall College, "Concerned with the Government's lack of progress on the MCZ process, Parliament conducted two inquiries, highlighting problems with the 's approach. In addition, public confidence in the participative process has eroded, with particular despair expressed by participants in the regional projects, who invested considerable time and effort in the site selection process. This outcome has implications not only for the UK's future coastal and marine planning, but also with regard to the implementation of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters."
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Drawing on interviews with participants in the consultation process, this paper examines the role of stakeholder participation in the UK MCZ site selection process, in particular how well the UK Government implemented its obligations under the Convention, and the meaning of 'participation' in a climate of political change and budgetary constraint."