- Current Status:
From the 12th century, Portugal has a tradition of strong, centralised government, especially during the half-century of dictatorship until 1974. Public participation is new and growing, especially in the environmental planning field since 1990. For development plans or policy development, public information is still common. Recently, EU directives require public participation in environmental matters. Often the law reads well, but the practice falls far short of it. However, the public has become involved on some major projects during the last five years . e.g. toxic waste incineration, the road to the Algarve and the Foz Coa reservoir.
- Sectoral Differences:
Some respondents see little difference in public participation by the public versus the private sector; others feel that private sector projects are more subject to public review while government proposals can be pushed through regardless of public concerns. e.g. the bridge over the Tagus estuary. However, the public sector is subject to legislation - municipal, territorial land use plans and EIA projects.
- Differences by Field:
In most fields, except environment and waste management where EU directives apply, there is limited public information but no opportunities for active input from the public in order to change proposals. The locations for roads and schools are usually negotiated by the government with the municipality but without public involvement. The DAD (Decide-Announce-Defend) model rules. Still, some involvement has been happening in education programs and school management.
- Trends:
The trend is to increased public participation, with EIA leading the way. Citizens have more legal tools to obtain information; EC Directives are driving changes, as is access to the Internet. NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) are growing in number and size. More means are being allocated to public participation. There are signs that, for slowly increasing numbers of people, the rights of citizenship include their involvement in decisions which affect them. Environmental groups, though often weak, have an important role; municipalities and wards, being close to their residents, could be more participative rather than subject to secret networks of private interests and central government administration.
- Techniques:
Public information is provided through brochures and newspapers. Public input is limited to written comments and public hearings for the most part; these methods are simple, cheap, formal and not very effective. Public meetings are mandatory for some projects and are promoted by the government; other techniques are still not popular. These meetings usually happen late in the process when many decisions have been made, leading to public frustration. Because there are few public forums to discuss other issues, project meetings can be taken over by concerns having nothing to do with the project.
- Pressures for Economy and Efficiency:
Yes, strong pressures exist, leading to the formal model used with EIAs by the IPAMB (Institute Promoting the Environment), but fairness, effectiveness and competence are absent. Public unrest concerning incineration, co-incineration and landfill projects have awakened the public to ask for improved processes of public involvement. Otherwise, EIA processes lack credibility and transparency. The most controversial projects have been postponed, stopped or resulted in contradictory decisions; riots and demonstrations have occurred. This seems to be a good time for the administration to review the EIA process and improve public involvement .NGOs play a role in pressures for economy and efficiency; budget and time constraints are always present. One respondent reports that there is no public pressure for more public participation; it requires more training, research and financial support.
- Stakeholders vs.Public:
Stakeholders are becoming more important because they represent a more organized group and are likely to exert some pressure if the situation becomes critical. The general public is usually quiet, uninformed and lack mechanisms for participation while stakeholders are quite active, reasonably knowledgeable and have good access to the media.This makes them influential much beyond their numbers with both the proponents and the public.When issues arise, civic groups can form and become important stakeholders. However, political parties still dominate civil society and can manipulate uninformed citizens. Environmental NGOs have been major actors in controversial projects but are the least militant in Europe.
- Public Participation vs. ADR, Mediation, etc.:
These alternatives are either non-existent or very limited, perhaps partly because public participation often occurs very late in the process. The Portuguese tradition of solving problems and conflicts informally amongst the participants may make these methods more popular.
- Employment:
There are no firms specialising in public participation, though some are hired for specific projects as external consultants from a base in a university, an environmental consultancy or a marketing-public relations firm.
- Policy vs. Project Focus:
Most public participation takes place about projects, especially through the EIA process and the public reviews conducted by the IPAMB . The municipality of Évora demonstrated that it is possible and useful to involve citizens in environmental and resource management policies. Some major projects, e.g. hazardous waste, may have failed because there was not a coherent and credible policy framework to support them.
- Comments, suggestions, etc.:
The quality of public participation depends on (1) people's habits and traditions, including "passive democracy" after 30 years of dictatorship ending in 1974, and (2) the quality of information and institutional arrangements. We need to keep trying! A slow process of increasing citizen awareness and consciousness generates pressure on government for more fair and transparent decisions, especially when quality of life is involved. EIA has been providing leadership which, if successful, could affect other fields; credible processes will encourage the public to become involved and co-operate.
