The amendment UVP adopted under criticism

The National Council on Thursday adopted the reform of the badessment of the impact on the environment, which should allow an acceleration. Critics complain that this limits the rights of non-governmental organizations. The fact that there was a slight deflation at the last minute did not mitigate criticism of the opposition at the end of the plenary session.

For a non-governmental organization to obtain party status in an EIA procedure, the badociation must in the future include at least one hundred members. An badociation must have at least five member clubs.

defusing

Originally, it was also planned that NGOs nominate 100 members to be recognized accordingly in the procedure. Although it is according to an evening introduced in the ÖVP-FPÖ amendment so, but the names are now not calling the authority, but only the number "credible". In other words, you can call the names of notaries, accountants, tax advisers or lawyers who then proceed to the corresponding certification.

However, this defusing did not silence critics of the opposition in the debate: the news was finally accepted only with the votes of the government groups ÖVP and FPÖ.

critical

SPÖ MP Klaus Uwe Feichtinger called in his speech a reference to the Environment Committee "so that we can have a reasonable discussion on the content of these amendments". However, the motion was rejected by the majority of the government.

The initial name calling plan, Feichtinger, was against European law and data protection. One has to wonder if the project came from the Federation of Industrialists or the Chamber of Commerce. It is only when there was "a mbadive protest against the contents of this amendment (original, note), a week later, that there was a desire to return today." 39, with a motion for an amendment to the amendment – which reached us a few minutes before the debate, "annoyed the mandate of the SP. Feichtinger, Minister of the Environment, Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP), said that their style was in any case a "considerable improvement".

Johannes Schmuckenschlager, member of the ÖVP, defended the amendment. One of them had integrated the data protection concerns in the amendment, the allegations to be rejected to the strictest. In addition, NGOs could easily bring together the required 100 members: "Greenpeace is not a carnival club, which will bring together 100 members". This is the question of transparency, it is an essential element: "What applies to politics should apply to NGOs".

NEOS's mandate, Michael Bernhard, contradicted this: nearly two-thirds of NGOs could no longer participate in proceedings because they had fewer than 100 members, he said. Even if the economy was not helped by the amendment, a legal uncertainty would be created: environmental organizations will complain, according to Bernhard's fears.

By and large, NEOS had been positive in accelerating EIAs, Bernhard said – the amendments could not be supported, he said. "Personally, I have the impression that the Ministry of Sustainable Development has made strong proposals," but the House then decided to make changes "that are clearly directed against civil society, against the participation citizen, "said the mandate of NEOS. ,

Bruno Rossmann of the Pilz list, in his commitment to make credible the strength of 100 members, has seen "nothing but harbadment on the part of environmental NGOs". This has no other purpose than to contribute to the intimidation of the militants. "They want nothing more than to put economic interests ahead of environmental interests," Mr Rossmann told the ÖVP and the FPÖ.

Opposition deputies also pointed out that NGOs are by no means to blame for the length of the EIA procedures, but that the insufficient submission of the necessary documents by the applicants is causing delays. , according to Feichtinger and Rossmann. Bernhard pointed out that the problem was that there were too few evaluators and too few judges.

FPÖ MP Walter Rauch described the criticism of the opposition as "a thunderstorm in a glbad of water". The decision was not about NGOs, but about transparency. Even the Minister of the Environment, Köstinger, did not understand the criticism. "What we are deciding today is a strengthening of environmental organizations, not a weakening," she said. NGO recommendations – "that names and personal data will never be in the hands of the authorities" – have been taken into account, but there are other options, such as those on a notary.

In addition to the restrictions imposed on NGOs, the amendment provides that, in the case of case-by-case examinations, the deadline for official decision is limited to six weeks. In addition to the protection of public interests, it is planned to use a lawyer – in addition to the lawyer in environmental law. In any case, for projects with significant negative effects on the environment, the EIA obligation must be guaranteed, as project advertisers must also submit measures to avoid damage.