Chapter 6: The Netherlands
(continued)
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Dutch law and jurisprudence provides for a considerable degree of access to information, public participation in decisionmaking and access to the administrative and judicial proceedings. Improvements are certainly possible, and access to information could be improved. The most urgent need for improvement is in the area of business information which enjoys an unnecessary degree of protection. Public participation rights have been increasingly criticized as ineffectual. At the same time there have been calls to streamline decisionmaking procedures by eliminating some public participation rights and even to roll-back the rights of citizens and environmental organizations to take matters to courts. This latter trend is a disturbing one which indicates that even those environmental rights of citizens which seem secure require vigilant protection.
REC * PUBLICATIONS * DOORS TO DEMOCRACY - WESTERN EUROPE * THE NETHERLANDS
