9.

Public participation

This term can be defined as one or more natural or legal persons. According to the national legal regulations or the practice, mostly they are societies according to the Civil Code. However, in the sense of the public, everyone has the right to information (both a citizen of the Czech Republic and a foreigner residing legally in our territory)

Public concerned

The strategy of the so-called privileged public is brought by the Aarhus Convention, which defines the public concerned as "the public that is or may be affected by environmental decision-making, or which has a certain concern in this decision-making". Another specification of the public concerned is in the EU law that is subsequently transposed into EIA Act (Section 3 letter (i)):

• a person who may be affected in his/her rights or obligations by a decision issued in a follow-up procedure (for example, the owner of the immovable property concerned),
• a legal person under private law whose activity is, according to the founding act, the protection of the environment or public health and whose main activity is not business or other gainful activity, and which has been established at least 3 years before the date of publication of the information on the follow-up procedure ..., or possibly, before the date of issuing the decision in the inquiry procedure or which is supported by at least 200 people with their signatures.

In the context of public participation, it is still essential to refer to Article 16 on publishing of documents acquired during the assessment and any information thereon. Publishing takes place

• through websites (EIA and SEA Information System – www.cenia.cz),
• on the official notice boards of the competent authority and authorities of the territorial self-governing units concerned,
• by at least one additional way that is commonplace (local radio, local press, etc.).