Estonian Green Movement
Estonia
Project No. 20542: Advisory Services to Promote Public Participation in Environmental Decisionmaking
Estonia
Project No. 20542: Advisory Services to Promote Public Participation in Environmental Decisionmaking
The EGM also maintains regular contact with foreign organizations, including the Coalition for a Clean Baltic, Friends of the Earth and European Youth for Action.
Potential network members, including interested lawyers in all three EGM regions, were identified for training as legal advisors. Two or three interested representatives of local authorities and other NGOs were invited to participate in this process.
An assessment was analyzed of needs and problems with respect to public participation, and a reference list was compiled of existing information resources. A training seminar was organized with the participation of NGO members as well as local and national government representatives.
The training of NGO activists and lawyers occurred in cooperation with the Estonian Law Center and the Faculty of Law at the University of Tartu. About 25 people took part. The training agenda included such topics as environmental legislation, legal instruments for public participation in Estonia, international experience, the introduction of a model for advisory services, testing of the model through role play and the choosing of specific topics to test models at EGM regional offices.
On the basis of the model, trained staff and lawyers undertook public participation initiatives on the local level - e.g., by establishing a green telephone hotline. A computer network was set up between EGM local groups and other NGOs to enhance cooperation.
A public participation working group was formed within the EGM with the aim of coordinating and advising local groups. Green telephone hotline services were extended along with legal advice on public participation.
An environmental data management system was established to assure the advisory service a ready supply of information and to set up a green database.
A seminar was held after four months to evaluate the tested model, public participation manuals, practices and problems that emerged. The compiled information was finalized and published in draft form in Estonian as a manual on public participation.
The organization was actively involved in drafting the new EIA law, and some of the comments have been taken into consideration by the government. The Public Participation Working Group was even asked to prepare the section on public participation.
The Public Participation Group has followed and supported the EGM's forestry strategy working group, organizing public meetings and discussion seminars. An Internet training course was organized in conjunction with the establishment of a core information network.
The EGM also responded to a number of requests concerning local legal cases. One case (Kunda, see case example below) was carefully followed by the EGM and legal help and advice was offered for the citizens.
At least five different research and governmental institutions have investigated the quality of drinking water and indoor air in Kunda: the Estonian Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Institute (EMHI), the Institute of Chemical and Biological Physics (KBFI), the Health Protection Department of Estonia (HPDE), the Laane-Virumaa County Health Protection Department (LVCHPD), and the State Laboratory for the Environment (SLE).
The EMHI and KBFI have reported problems with drinking water and indoor air to the City Government of Kunda (CGK) on several occasions, upon which CGK initiated the program "Clean Drinking Water for Estonia." The application to help start this program was sent to the HPDE on July 12, 1995, with the signatures of 891 Kunda residents.
The HPDE responded to the city of Kunda on Dec. 2, 1995, and declared that according to data compiled by the LUCHPD and SLE, Kunda drinking water does not exceed permissible component levels, except in the case of iron. The excessive iron would be eliminated by a new water purification plant, construction of which was to begin in March 1996. According to the response, there was no danger of radon pollution to human health.
A public hearing was held in Kunda on Dec. 2, 1995. Twenty specialists from various institutions participated, and there was a presentation on the quality of the drinking water. There were 100 participants in all, mainly older residents. For the most part, the specialists debated, and the public was passive. The hearing aimed primarily to inform the public and garner support in case additional investigations were necessary. Indeed, it was decided that another complex investigation was needed. The issue of financing the new investigation and additional measures to reduce drinking water pollution has also reached Parliament. However, the Ministry of Environment is agrees with the Health Protection Department - namely, that the problem is not serious.
The seminar organized by the EGM offered Kunda activists legal advice concerning what to do next and how to press through solutions in the interest of Kunda residents. They now aim to establish contacts with the World Health Organization to involve international experts in further investigations. EGM's Public Participation Group plans to initiate a court proceeding in Kunda if any violation is discovered.
