EcoLur
On 21 June the National Assembly adopted the draft law ‘On Environmental Impact Expert Assessment’ in three readings at once in one day. Under the public representatives, this law has its gaps, and in this regard a number of public figures have applied to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan asking them to send back the law to discussions.
“This new law doesn’t provide the processes existing in the previous law. Several serious parts referring to the urban development have been omitted, and we will experience serious problems with the compliance to the Aarhus Convention,” Nazeli Vardanyan, President of “Forests of Armenia” NGO said at the press conference held at “EcoLur” press club on 8 July. In the previous law there was 30 days for noticing and another 15 days were granted for the public to express its opinion. The convention secretariat wrote that 30 days are few, more days are needed to understand 300-400-page-long package, so as specialists can express their opinion at the public hearings. The new law made these 30 days 7 days and no term for expressing opinions.
The Pan-Armenian Environmental front member Levon Galstyan mentioned that he took part in the elaboration of the draft law, but withdrew from the working group after three months.
July 09, 2014 at 12:21