Application of the Aarhus Convention in Southeast Europe
Our survey showed that there have not been many examples of the direct application of the Aarhus Convention by the courts in SEE countries. In situations where the Aarhus Convention could be applied, the courts would rather apply the rules of domestic legislation that are relevant to the merits of the case, or the provisions of the EU directives that regulate access to information, public participation in decisionmaking and access to justice in environmental matters. In addition, in many environmental cases the Aarhus Convention will not be applicable, since it does not contain any substantive rules regarding the right to a healthy environment.
Public participation in decisions on specific activities in environmental matters in Croatia
The adoption of the European acquis in Croatia is discussed by Lana Ofak in her article “Public participation in decisions on specific activities in environmental matters in Croatia”. The article provides a general overview of the legal framework for public participation in decisions on specific activities in Croatia and highlights specific problems in exercising the right to participate in environmental impact assessment procedures.
THE IMPACT OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Few pieces of domestic legislation have created as much controversy in recent years as has the mandate for "maximum feasible participation" of the poor in the Community Action Programs of the Office of Economic Opportunity and the attempts to insure "widespread citizen participation" in the Demonstration Cities Program (commonly referred to as the Model Cities Program, reputedly because of the negative political connotation of "demonstrations") of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But citizen participation is not new to the politics of the United States. In fact, perhaps no other theme has so persistently dominated debate concerning American government.