Participation of the public in decision-making within environmental protection

Účast veřejnosti na rozhodovacích procesech v rámci ochrany životního prostředí 79 Summary Public participation in decision making is an increasingly important aspect of modern democracy. State and international institutions often set goals for themselves, including environmental protection and improvement.. Pollution will become an even more serious issue as large Asian nations continue to expand their economies. In this context, institutions require help and control from the public to ensure they make the proper decisions. In this thesis, I focus on public participation on three levels: international law, European law and national law. On the international level, the Aarhus Convention is the controlling legal document. Its three pillars regulate access to information, public participation in decision making, and access to justice. This document contains procedural rights, but the term "public concerned" is especially important. The Convention leaves it up to member states to determine who comprises "the public". Similarly, European law regulates public participation. It does so by means of directives.The Czech Republic is thus bound by international as well as European law. The third chapter of this thesis focuses on specific activities. Several laws are important for public participation, namely the EIA..