New enforcement aid from the FOEN

on the requirements for the publication of projects subject to the right of appeal by associations

by Alexander Rey

1. initial situation

Environmental protection organizations entitled to appeal lose their right to appeal if they have not already participated in the objection or appeal procedure for a project. The competent decision-making authority must therefore publish the project application in the first-instance decision-making procedure in such a way that the organizations can actually participate in the procedure. Publication takes place by direct written notification or by official publication. In November 2021, the FOEN published an implementation guide for first-instance decision-making authorities on the requirements for publication. This explains the legal requirements for publication and refers in particular to construction and planning projects of cantons and municipalities.

2. basics of the right of appeal of associations

In the area of nature and cultural heritage protection, a project application must be published if the following conditions are cumulatively met:

  • An injunction will be issued for the project;
  • the project concerns the fulfillment of a federal task within the meaning of Art. 2 NHG;
  • the project has an impact on nature and heritage protection.

The implementation guide explains that special use plans with the character of a disposition also fall under the concept of a disposition. Furthermore, the now broad concept of the federal task is explained. In particular, it must be taken into account that new zoning is also to be qualified as a federal task based on BGE 142 II 509.

In the field of environmental protection, a project application must be published if the following two conditions are cumulatively met:

  • An injunction will be issued for the project;
  • the project is subject to the environmental impact assessment according to Art. 10a ff. USG.

3. date of publication

Publication may not take place until the project dossier is complete. Before publication, the decision-making authority must ensure that all aspects of the project that are necessary for its legal assessment are dealt with in the search dossier.

4. publication organ

The project application must be published in the Federal Gazette or in the cantonal organ of publication (Art. 55a para. 1 USG and Art. 12b para. 1 NHG). Publication merely in the municipal organ of publication is not sufficient.

5. contents of the publication

The content of the publication must be designed in such a way that the organizations entitled to complain can see whether they are entitled to complain against the project and whether they should inspect the application dossier with a view to compliance with the EPA or the NCHA. Accordingly, the publication must contain general information on the project, the applicable substantive law and the procedure.

6. regulation of the inspection

As a rule, application documents can be inspected at the municipal administration. The authorities are not obliged to send the application documents to the organizations with the right to appeal. The duration of the opportunity to inspect the application documents should coincide with the deadline for lodging an objection. The authority may not prohibit the making of photocopies of application documents, but may charge a reasonable fee for this.

7. federal tasks, list of organizations entitled to file complaints and sample publication

The implementation guide contains a thankfully non-exhaustive list of federal tasks according to Art. 2 NCHA, which can trigger an association's right to complain. In addition, the implementation guide contains a list of the organizations entitled to file complaints in the Confederation. Finally, a model for a legally compliant publication is presented in an appendix.

8. conclusion

The federal enforcement guide on applications subject to the right of appeal by associations is helpful. It should be borne in mind that insufficient publication can lead to the necessity of repeating the publication, which is associated with procedural delays. Permits that have been issued without prior publication also remain in a state of legal limbo, since organizations entitled to file complaints can also file appeals after the fact. This is neither in the interest of the building owner nor in the interest of the authorizing authorities.