EcoLur
Fifteen Aarhus Centers of Armenia have addressed a letter to the Armenian President asking not to sign RA Law “On Environmental Impact Expert Assessment and Expertise”. The letter says, “The new draft law submitted to the National Assembly by the Government of Armenia “On Environmental Impact Expert Assessment and Expertise” adopted in accelerated procedure eventually killed all our hopes that out country will have a law, which will regulate and ensure public participation in decision-making on environmentally important matters. By comparing the previous and new bill in the part of regulating public participation in EIA process, we can say that it doesn’t provide any clearer and more available conditions for public participation in decision-making, but it restrict the legitimate rights and possibilities for public participation. The new law not only hadn’t improved the provisions regulating public participation, but made it worse, as it lays down
Shorter noticing period for public,
No term for the expression of public opinion,
Only one stage of discussions instead of previous three stages of discussions,
No clarification of actors’ responsibilities in this process,
No clear procedure for public participation.
We are addressing you asking you not to sign the new draft on “Environmental Impact Expert Assessment” and send it back to the National Assembly for the new stage of discussions with public and relevant amendments to it.”
July 09, 2014 at 13:23