Launch of the project “Evaluation of the administrative regulation on public participation”

On behalf of the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, the NIPAG is conducting a project to evaluate the administrative regulation on intensifying public participation in planning and approval procedures.

In January 2026, the project commissioned by the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg to evaluate the administrative regulation on intensifying public participation in planning and approval procedures was launched.

With the “Administrative Regulation on Intensifying Public Participation in Planning and Approval Procedures” (VwV ÖB) and the related “Guidelines for a New Planning Culture” (planning guidelines), a regulatory and institutional framework was created in 2013 and 2014 to meet the demands of citizens in Baden-Württemberg for more information and participation. An important element is the early involvement of the public in significant infrastructure projects through appropriate public participation measures.

The VwV ÖB and the planning guidelines underwent a detailed evaluation between 2015 and 2019. The “National Institute for Public Administration Germany” (NIPAG) carried out extensive analyses on behalf of the state government of Baden-Württemberg. In implementation of the recommendations of the evaluation, the VwV ÖB was extended and a public participation service center was established to support and relieve the burden on authorities and local governments.

Five years after the first evaluation, the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg has now commissioned the National Institute for Public Administration Germany” (NIPAG) to evaluate the VwV ÖB once again. The aim of this evaluation project is to determine the longer-term impact of early public participation on the application, approval, and implementation process for infrastructure projects, building on the previous project. All types of public participation covered by the VwV are considered: early public participation, informal and subsequent public participation, and participation scoping.

The project is scheduled for completion at the end of June 2027.