CYIL vol. 7 (2016)

372 / 536

358
BIRUTĖ PRANEVIČIENĖ – VIOLETA VASILIAUSKIENĖK CYIL 7 ȍ2016Ȏ
Border Security” in the Frontex project “European Joint Masters in Strategic Border
Management”. Her scientific interest is focused on human rights, constitutional,
administrative and environmental law issues.
Dr. Violeta Vasiliauskienė teaches Public International Law and European Union
Law in the Public Security Faculty of Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania. She
also teaches the subjects of Hydrosphere Protection Policy and Legal Regulation and
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Criminal Procedure. Her Ph.D. thesis
was acquired in 2014. The topic of her thesis was “The Fight Against Terrorism in
the Context of International Humanitarian Law”. She writes publications on various
issues of public international law.
Introduction
The nuclear energy sector has particular specific issues such as high costs,
technical complexity, the “high cost of a mistake”, long-term consequences, as well as
the existence of a variety of decision-making procedures depending on country and
on the type of nuclear energy-related project.1 Therefore in recent years it can be seen
that the persons formulating the energetics strategies of states take into account not
only state electricity needs, and the most effective means of assurance of those needs,
but also carry out the macroeconomic impact analysis and the environmental impact
assessment. Some methods for the production of electricity are potentially dangerous
not only to that state but also to the region. For example, in case of an accident in
a nuclear power plant, damage may be caused not only in the state where the nuclear
power plant is based but also in many other neighbouring states. Therefore every
time that a new nuclear power plant is being built, discussions rise as to whether
this nuclear power plant is necessary to the state, will it contribute to state security
and energetic independence, or whether, on the contrary, it will be a threat to the
environment, to human health and at the same time to state security. These questions
that arise in the energy sector, especially in the sector of nuclear energetics, are not
the questions of one state, but they are relevant universally, to all states. This universal
need is reflected in international legal documents in the field of nuclear power usage
and in the field of transnational environmental impact assessment and provision of
information about the environment to private subjects etc.
The aim of this article is to reveal whether the international legal rules obliging
a state to provide information about the environment are implemented effectively in
a specific case – that is, the construction of a nuclear power plant in Ostrovets, Belarus.
Therefore the article will reveal, first, the importance of the right to information
1 ANDRIY MARTYNYUK, and others. ‘Application of the Espoo Convention to nuclear energy-related
activities: current practice and recommendations for a unified approach’ Broshure. (2014) <https://
energy_brochure_2014.pdf> accessed 30 May 2016.