A
Aarhus Convention
UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.
C
Chatbot
A computer program that simulates a conversation with a human user. A chatbot aggregates all information into a single channel and uses this to answer questions.
Comments
Comments or objections to the project can be submitted by the public in writing to the responsible authority as part of the formal participation process. The authorities are legally obliged to discuss the comments.
E
EIA
An environmental impact assessment is integrated into the authorisation procedure for industrial plants and infrastructure projects or other major projects with the aim of identifying, describing and assessing the environmental impact of individual projects (e.g. major construction projects).
EIA portals
Digital participation portals that make information on authorisation procedures with EIA available to the public on the internet. Depending on the design, it may also be possible to submit comments via the EIA portal.
EU
European Union. It is made up of 27 member states, including Germany.
F
Formal participation procedures
Formal participation procedures refer to the legally prescribed public participation (as opposed to informal or voluntary participation). Formal participation is required as part of the environmental impact assessment.
H
Hybrid discussion meetings
A hybrid form of analogue and digital discussion or public hearing where people can participate both online and in person.
M
MoP
Meeting of the Parties. Main governing body of the Aarhus Convention.
N
NGO
Non-Governmental Organization
O
Objections
Objections or comments on the project can be submitted in writing by the public to the competent authority as part of the formal participation process. The authorities are required by law to discuss the objections.
Online (Participation) Portals
Websites where all participation activities are permanently gathered and where citizens are encouraged to actively participate in the participation process using information and communication technologies.
Online Public Hearings
Online public hearings or digital public hearings are discussion meetings as part of a participation process in the digital space. They allow interested parties to discuss comments and objections without having to attend a face-to-face meeting.
Open-Source-Software
Software whose source code is freely available and which is developed in a decentralised and collaborative manner. Open source software is based on the open source development model and differs significantly from proprietary software in this respect.
P
Public
Is legally defined in various legal acts. Article 2(4) of the Aarhus Convention defines it as “one or more natural or legal persons and, in accordance with national law or practice, their associations, organisations or groups”.
Public Participation
Public participation in official decisions and authorisations includes providing the public with information on (infrastructure) projects and plans, displaying documents and accepting objections and holding discussion meetings.
S
SEA
Strategic Environmental Assessment. In particular, it is carried out when plans and programmes are developed to describe and assess the environmental impact.
U
UfU
Independent Institute for Environmental Issues – UfU e.V. (Environmental organisation).
UN
United Nations.
UNECE
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe is one of five regional commissions of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).
