Managing delayed projects. Cernavoda NPP - Romania. Public acceptability, regulatory approval

First Romanian Environmental Protection Law issued in 1995 and was followed by a 'Permitting Procedure' in 1996. The procedure explained the process of applying and obtaining environmental permits and also the public involvement. The purposes of public involvement are: obtain additional information on the environmental impact of the project; notice aspects infringing the environmental legislation; obtain suggestions for potential changes to the project that would improve the environmental performance. At the beginning of 2003, the Environmental Protection Law changed in order to answer at the requirements of the EIA Directive. New approaches of the changed law are: implementation of EU Directives; public debates in the neighboring countries in accordance with Espoo Convention; implementation of the Aarhus Convention. The main causes delaying the environmental licensing process are: changes in the environmental legislation; influence of the Espoo and Aarhus Convention on the environmental licensing process; the influence of 'green' non-governmental organizations in the public debates; lack of bilateral agreement between neighboring countries in the field of Espoo Convention