• For more than 40 years after the Second World War, Slovakia was under a socialist regime. People had no rights to raise their voices. There was no legal policy about community involvement. Policies allowing people to get involved were just formal. People were prosecuted for having different opinions from those allowed by the regime. There was no sense of community, or it was top secret, because any gathering was treated as suspicious. This was a huge deterrent to the formation of citizens groups caring about the environment and the issues of the community.
  
  
• After the revolution in 1989, there were new possibilities for developing  democratic society. Many citizens created organizations for dealing with democratic, social, cultural and environmental issues. After a long period having no chance to change anything, people were keen to work actively for the community and environment.
  
  
• Nowadays the legal options of public participation in decision-making are framed in national or even international legislation.



• Recently the situation is changing as municipalities, architects and citizens are increasingly clear about the importance and many advantages of public participation.
  
  
• Practice has been assisted by financial support from abroad – many different foundations, trusts and funds providing financial support for revitalization of public spaces with active involvement of the community in planning. For instance, EU grants, and Foundations in the USA, UK, Netherlands, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
  
  
• There are many successful small public participation projects but few large projects. Few architects have practical experience of working with the community.
  
  
Note: Many of the websites linked to from these pages are in Slovak although some have sections in English.

International policy in Slovakia

• Aarhus convention
  for Slovak version of the Aarhus convention click here
  
  
• Implementation report by Slovakia
  ECE/MP.PP/IR/2008/SVK
  For the whole text of the report click here
  
  
• Alternative report on implementation of the Convention by Slovakia submitted by 17 Slovak NGOs
  For the whole text of the report click here
  

National policy and law in community involvement

• Zákon o územnom plánovaní a stavebnom poriadku č.50/1976 Zb. z. (Spatial planning Act and Building policy no. 50/1976) amended by the Act 237/2000 (so called “Building Act”) paragraph 34. – defines the concrete partakers of land use policy:  each citizen has the right to voice and set out his or her opinion. If someone is the partaker of the building and land-use policy, the chance that his or her suggestions will be heard out and incorporated increases. Anyone should be a partaker in a policy even if he or she is not an immediate neighbour of the building, but this proposed building will touch his interests.
  For further information click here


• Zákon o posudzovaní vplyvov na životné prostredie (EIA) č.24/2006 Zb. z. (Act of the environmental impact assessment no. 24/2006).
  Defines the partakers of this process in Part 3 – Consideration of proposed action, Paragraph 24; Participation of the interested public (Tretia časť – Posudzovanie navrhovaných činností, § 24 Účasť zainteresovanej verejnosti).
  
  The interested public is the public who may have an interest in environmental decision-making processes. The public is especially:
  - Public initiative (para 25)
  - Non-governmental organization in support for environment protection (para 26)
  - Organization in support for environment protection established under special laws with a functioning more than 2 years (para 27)
  For further information click here
  
  
• Zákon o petičnom práve č.85/1990 Zb. z. (Act about the petition right no. 85/1990) allows citizen to approach authorities of public administration (government authorities, parishes, authorities of the self – administration, inspectorships, bureau of governance, etc.) and push through their opinion by petition that is a right of each citizen arising from this act.
  
  The preliminary assessment of paragraph 1 cites that each citizen has the right by his own or in a group of citizens to turn with the public or another common interests to government authorities and to the authorities of self-administration with proposals, reclamations and demands.  
  For further information click here
  
  The preliminary assessment of paragraph 1 cites that each citizen has the right by his own or in a group of citizens to turn with the public or another common interest to government authorities and the authorities of self-administration with proposals, reclamations and demands.
  
  
• Zákon o obecnom zriadení č.369/1990 Zb. z.(Act about village institution no 369/1990) This Act is offering more options on how to join the decision-making about public affairs – referendums, public gatherings, appearance at the council gathering.
  For further information click here
  

Different non–profit and environmental organizations and links on web pages connected to public participation, environmental issues and planning:

Slovak environmental Non-governmental and non-profit organisation

Ekofórum
http://www.ekoforum.sk/

Changenet
http://www.changenet.sk/

The Center for Environmental Public Advocacy (CEPA)
http://www.cepa.sk/

Enviroportal
enviroportal.sk/