17. July 2024

The Aarhus Digital Guide with international good practice examples for participation portals in environmental issues is online. It provides an overview of good practices in designing digital participation portals in 11 countries, with a focus on participation in environmental impact assessments. Online participation portals for civil society exist at both national and regional levels. Their aim is to bring together information on specific participation procedures.  

The guide is aimed in particular at environmental authorities in EU Member States that set up and operate participation portals. Authorities can use the guide to obtain specific information on the recommendations for digital public participation under the Aarhus Convention and to be inspired by examples of good practice from different countries, including those outside Europe. It also provides civil society with an overview of the different digital options for effective participation. 

An international study by UfU has shown that the design of Environmental Impact Assessment portals is inadequate in almost all European countries, thus failing to fully implement the Aarhus Convention. Yet effective public participation in environmental matters is a key component of sound planning and permitting decisions and strengthens democratic participation. Digital participation portals can play a key role in simplifying formal participation procedures and making them more accessible. 

To the website
To the UfU project
There is a screenshot of the Aarhus Digital website with the tabs online portals, country case studies and background information on online participation. Below the contents is a green bar, where it is written on the left

The guide provides an overview of the main features and requirements of good participation portals and is illustrated with examples of good practice from 11 countries. We analysed the following countries Austria, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraineand the USA. 

We have grouped the good practices into the following categories: 

  • One portal for all: In order to successfully involve citizens, it is necessary to have a central participation portal that lists all environmental impact assessments, regardless of the authority’s competence within a country.  
  • Visualisation & maps: A graphical overview of ongoing EIA procedures makes it easy for citizens to find out whether procedures are taking place in their home region or at a specific site of interest. 
  • Document organisation: Clear provision of documents, easy to understand filing systems and non-technical summaries are necessary for successful participation.  
  • Comment function: A comment function allows comments to be submitted quickly and easily for analysis by the authorities. 
  • Archive function: The archive feature allows users to search for and view completed procedures.  
  • Apps and chatbots: Apps and chatbots could ensure particularly user-friendly and effective public participation and could be linked to existing EIA portals. 
  • Authorities should also use social media to promote participation portals and digital procedures.  

The guide also provides background information on the Aarhus Convention, a toolbox for digital public participation and further information on digital public hearings.