Public participation has been developed as an essential component of democraticgovernance in the world. At the same time, it is a supporting tool for informeddecision making. Public participation procedures allow those, directly affected by adecision, to influence the decision-making process. In addition, participation is asource of information for decision-makers not only on technical issues but also theneeds of citizens. Thus, public participation prior to decision-making ensures betterreflection of the public opinion in decisions. As a result, more effective decisions aremade. In addition, such decisions are better accepted by the public, which means thatthere is less risk of evolving conflict situations. Finally, participation improves qualityof decisions as well as quality of enforcement and builds trust between the public andthe government.
