Environment: public participation in plans and programmes

Of the 19 amendments adopted by the European Parliament, two are accepted in full and four in principle, subject to re-wording. Those accepted include: -a provision for wider public participation in the updating of the IPPC permits than the common position. This amendment makes public participation an obligation for at least the most relevant cases of permit updates, which are the ones covered by the IPPC Directive. -additional wording to the new Annex V to the IPPC Directive, making explicit the stages of public participation; -altering the excpetion, in the EIA Directive 85/337/EEC, for projects serving national defence purposes from a general one to one to be decided by Member States on a case-by-case basis; -a clause requiring information to be provided also where another form of assessment has been undertaken when exempting a specific project from the EIA Directive, subject to rewording. The following amendments are amongst those rejected by the Commission: -the clause leaving it to Member States to decide on a case-by-case basis, not to apply the legislation to plans and programmes serving national defence purposes if such application would have an adverse impact. The corresponding provision in the Aarhus Convention relates to environmentally significant projects -the introduction of access to justice in relations to plans and programmes subject to public participation under the proposed directive. This is not required under the Aarhus Convention; -shortening the delay for implementation from 2 years to 12 months from entry into force of the directive; -the extension of the scope of the directive by including other Community plans and programmes which may have a significant effect on individual and public health and well-being.�