scope:

The communication methods presented in this standard are used in connection with odour impact in the vicinity of facilities subject or not subject to approval in accordance with BImSchG.

The principles and case studies in this standard refer to site-related issues and the affected parties of the community, residents or neighbours in the local vicinity. The application of the communication methods presented in this standard does relieve the public authorities of its duties (e.g. checking the legal conformity of facility operation) or the company of its obligations to operate the facility correctly under the terms of law.

The main users of this standard are applicants/ facility operators and the public authorities responsible for supervision and approval and other specialised authorities. The goal is the initiation and management of communication between the representatives of the facility, their neighbourhood, the responsible authorities and the affected stakeholders and their advocates.

The precondition for the application of the communication methods presented here is, on the part of the applicant/facility operator, his willingness to disclose all the necessary information and discuss measures that may exceed the legally demanded minimum standards. The monitoring and approval authority must be willing to discuss exploiting the entire discretionary scope permitted by the legal framework. All of the stakeholders have to be willing to keep to the shared rules of the communication methods. This standard is not concerned with examining the facility's conformity with the law. The communication methods presented here offer systematic and structured approaches for initiating talks between facility operators, public authorities and residents and for resolving or defusing conflicts.

The public authority helps to uphold the quality of the communication process and its outcome by informing the parties concerned on the legal situation and ensures that consideration is given to the legal requirements. On this basis, the approval and supervisory authority can use this standard for initiating, managing and participating in the communication process. Depending on the effort involved and the severity of the conflict, it may be advisable to bring in an external consultant for the communication process or facilitator.

This standard presents principles and case studies. The methods presented differ according to who takes on the role of initiator or facilitator/mediator and which communication methods are applied. The objectives can vary widely. A rough distinction can be made between methods for avoiding and resolving conflicts. For a practical classification of the case studies, a distinction is also made between conflict situations at existing sites (facility already in operation or undergoing major modification) and at new sites (planning phase or transition to regular operation).