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The EURENI project ‘Aarhus Strong’ has published a digital guideline showing how participation portals for environmental policy can be designed to be user-friendly and accessible.
Citizen participation strengthens transparency, creates acceptance and enables active contributions to environmentally relevant decisions. A guideline published as part of the EURENI project ‘Aarhus Strong’ offers environmental authorities and organisations in EU Member Stares practical guidance on making environmental information accessible and promoting citizen participation. The guide focuses on intuitive usability, to ensure that less technically competent users can still participate actively.
The project is being implemented by the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), a scientific institute and non-profit organisation based in Berlin. UfU is particularly engaged in promoting democracy and participation in environmental and resource protection. Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH is the responsible project management agency for the EURENI project.
Digital solutions for greater participation
The Aarhus Convention – the leading international agreement on environmental democracy – secures access to environmental information, the participation of the general public in decision-making processes and access to the courts. The Convention has been in force in 47 countries, including all EU member states, since 2001.
Since the COVID pandemic, digital formats have played an increasingly central role in citizen participation. The EURENI project ‘Aarhus Strong’ therefore aims to provide environmental authorities, as well es civil society organisations and citizens with a platform that simplifies dialogue and promotes participation in decisions affecting environmental policy.
However, a UfU study shows that appropriate citizen participation is still far from being achieved: Many environmental impact assessment (EIA) portals in Europe offer only partial compliance with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention. These portals inform the general public about the environmental impacts of major infrastructure or building projects and invite them to participate.
Successful examples from practice as motivation
The published guideline contains practical recommendations and a list of well-implemented European participation portals and successful participation tools.
One example of the innovative use of digital technologies is the Ukrainian chatbot ‘SafeEcoBot’. This chatbot provides information about EIA procedures, offers regional subscriptions, and supplies data on air quality, radiation exposure and wildfires.
A guideline for the future
The guideline is aimed not only at administrations and organisations but is also a valuable resource for interested citizens and environmental protection associations. Alongside background information on the Aarhus Convention, it offers a toolbox for public participation plus interesting examples from practice.
The guideline is available as a free download from the Aarhus Strong project website. Versions are provided in German and English.
The results of the project, including best practices, were presented to an international audience of experts at a wrap-up event. This event offered an opportunity to share insights and continue to support the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in digital formats.
