Covering waste, air quality management and the protection of water against nitrate pollution, the draft Directive aims to boost public participation in the decision making process in order to improve the quality of decisions, increase environmental awareness and strengthen public support. It gives the public the ability to challenge the legality of environmental planning decisions.
Contentious issues that were settled before the agreement could be reached included the exemption of projects serving national defence interests and the wider public participation in the updating of permits under the integrated pollution and prevention regulations. The agreement will need to be formally voted on by the Parliament and then the Council before it is adopted.
EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstron said: “This Directive will enable European citizens to take part more effectively in environmental decision-making which affects them. If the public is aware of environmental issues, and involved in decisions, then the decisions are likely to be of a better quality, because relevant information and interests will have been taken into account.”
She added: “And those decisions are also likely to be better implemented and respected, because stakeholders will have been involved in the decision.”
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