The regulation on constructing large objects in Estonia needs to be amended
Estonian Environmental Law Center released today an analysis of the regulation on construction of objects of significant spatial impact.
According to the analysis the system for construction of large objects needs to be amended, as the legislation in force at present does not guarantee involvement of the public nor the appropriate assessment of environmental impact.
The analysis of EELC concerns the deficiencies of regulation and practice on constructing objects with significant impact. The analysis brings out that the construction of these objects is often decided on the level where impacts are assessed too narrowly and the alternative locations on a larger territory are not compared, thus depriving the public of a chance to substantially participate.
One of the solutions offered by EELC is that the state must clearly identify the objects constructed in public interests and for which alternative locations must be looked for on the level of county plan. The need to construct such objects cannot be decided by discretionary decisions of officials but must be determined in strategic plans, for which the environmental impacts of alternative solutions will be taken into account. The opportunity for the public to participate at the earliest stage must also be guaranteed.
The analysis and additional materialscan be found in Estonian on the homepage of EELC.
