Designing Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment

1. Presentation & Exercise Designing Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment

2. Public Participation in Impact Assessment: Obligation? • Formally required- “public inspection/ public display” (Art. 14*) • In scoping phase: 30 days MEPPPC website: written comments • As part of EIA procedure: 30 days public inspection + public display: spoken and written comments (=public debate) • If positive outcome is expected, the formal PP needs: • Public/ stakeholders’ trust in project developer and authorities • Transparent & convincing information provision • Consultation event with engagement of ALL actors and external facilitation *Regulation on information and participation of the public and public concerned in environmental matters

3. Information Provision („public inspection“): • Aim: To inform public & public concerned on your plans/ your project. • Providing transparent & understandable information: • For whom? > who are your stakeholders? Broad Public? Different experts? • Accessibility: locally (opening hours), online ? • What information should be provided? • All formally submitted project information • In addition, special presentation for different target groups, addressing their concerns specifically But: what is relevant information for stakeholders?

4. Consultation (“Public Debate”) • Objective: To respond to the input of the public • Formalized process: “Public inspection & display” • Public Display: Meeting with competent authority, the developer, the person in charge for the impact study “ • Only opinions, objections and proposals are considered which • refer to the submitted information • Were submitted within the inspection period of 30 days Often generates (wrong) expectations: • Stakeholders (may) make the effort to respond to project information provided through the authorities, because • They expect response, acknowledgement, consideration • But: No formal/legal requirement for this. • Building trust requires feedback mechanism to stakeholders • “public display” could be designed as more interactive process

5. Designing Public Participation forEIA & Project Development:Active Participation EIA preparation phase ? Project Start EIA study preparation EIA presentation Project Implementation EIA preparation phase

6. Identifying the Public & the Public Concerned Involvement of Public & Public Concerned Notification to MEPPPC ; Information on MEPPC website Initiating Public Diaologue Project according to Annexes II-III? Faculative for developer By developer Consultation/ First Public Display? Application to MEPPPC: Formal Start of EIA Procedure (4 months) MEPPC appoints Technical Advisory Committee Sessions & Approval of EIA studies

7. Application to MEPPPC: Formal Start of EIA Procedure (4 months) Ongoing Consultation/ Joint Assessment MEPPC appoints Technical Advisory Committee Sessions & Approval of EIA studies PUBLIC DEBATE: Public Inspection & Public Display Documentation impact of public opinions, objections, proposals Comments Review MEPPC final decision on Environmental Impact of planned project With Public involvement

8. Your task: Designing a PP process • Goal of participation: What do we want to get out of it? • E.g. building trust, improving cooperation with stakeholders, increasing transparency, getting information, getting support, reducing resistance? • Target Audience: Who are the stakeholders: organizations, persons, representatives? • What is their expertise & their interest? • Do they have the resources to participate? • Timing & Level of participation • Timing: starting before the EIA procedure or in parallel? • Level: Information, consultation, active involvement • How would you like to involve them? • (Thursday:) • Process organization & facilitation, Methods & tools, Budget Break Out Groups (5-6 persons)

9. Exercise: Goal & Actors of your PP process • 1. Choose a project you think about supporting with PP • 2. Why do you want to do PP activity? • Do you want to increase the understanding for the project & reduce resistance? Inform & educate stakeholders? • What could be the largest potential benefit from a public participation (for you)? • Do you want • - to learn more about potential impacts of the project? • - Gather data & information? • - to improve the analysis of proposals leading to more creative development, more sustainable interventions and consequently greater public acceptance and support? • Do you want to foster justices, equity & collaboration? • Are you interested in long-term cooperation with the stakeholders? • 3. Who are “your” stakeholders: organizations, persons, representatives? • When & How should they be involved? • What would be the stakeholders’ benefit to get involved?

11. Implementing public participation - Facilitating the process • Budget: • - Time & resources for designing PP & analysing your stakeholders • - Costs for preparing & presenting information • - Costs for setting up meetings (rooms, provisions, facilitation) • - Time for engagement with stakeholders • Methods & tools: • For Information Provision: presentations, website, factsheets, articles, geo-graphical information • For Consultation: feeding back comments e.g. through hearings, online discussion forum • For active participation: interactive support tools for work meeting • e.g. Active Listening (Exercise)

12. Active Listening: to understand the other person & to build trust DONT’s Do not ask closed questions (yes/no questions) Do not ask multiple choice question (A or B?) No suggestive questions (you agree, don’t you?) Do not give your own opinion! Do not argue! This is the biggest trap! Do not correct ‘mistakes’ (don’t impose your ‘knowledge’) Do not interrupt! Let the speaker speak!

13. Active Listening- to understand the other person & to build trust DO’s Open questions: How, What, Why? Summarize: this structures the conversation and helps to check if you understood things right… Detailing en verification:  Questions like: “Do you see more problems? Or “can you give an example? provide you with more details. 'Humming‘ and confirming the story teller stimulates (Yes, indeed) Silence! People do not like silence; after 4 seconds someone will talk. Non-verbal communication: eye contact, attentive gestures