First NPP Poland: National EIA does not comply with the Aarhus Convention

2023-08-09

On 9 August, 2023 the Joint Project NGOs and many other organizations – a total of 28 organizations from 11 countries – sent an open letter of protest to the EU Commissioner of the Environment, the EU Energy Commissioner and the Polish Espoo authority GDOŚ against the insufficient public consultation period provided by the Polish authorities to prepare and submit statements on the environmental impacts of the planned nuclear power plant in the Pomerania region which lasts from July 20 to August 18, 2023.

This approach is violating several legal obligations: The Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters which Poland ratified in 2002. Clearly, the consultation period of 22 working days during the summer holiday period is insufficient and violates article 6(3) of the Aarhus Convention and article 6(6) of the EIA directive.
In addition, we need to point out that the public outside of Poland was not provided with information on the valuable species, marine and forest environment, because those parts of the EIA report were missing in the Espoo procedures with EU countries.

For more information please contact Patricia Lorenz, Friends of the Earth Europe, Tel +43 676 44 64 254