Court in Estonia overturns decision to expand Nursipalu training area — ERR News
The Tallinn Administrative Court in Estonia upheld complaints filed by local residents and non-profit organizations against government decisions to expand the Estonian Defence Forces training area in Nursipalu. The court found these decisions unlawful due to shortcomings in assessing the project's impact on the environment and the lives of people living nearby.
As ERR News reports, the court did not question the state's assessment of threats, the need to expand the training area, or the legality of selecting its location. At the same time, it concluded that when making the decisions, the authorities did not have sufficient information to properly take into account the consequences for nature and local residents.
Shortcomings in the environmental assessment
The court found that in 2023, the fundamental decision to expand the training area was made based on a superficial description of environmental impact. Noise-level studies were not conducted at the time, while the assessment of the impact on Natura 2000 network areas was only preliminary. According to the court, some potential consequences were improperly excluded from this assessment.
The court also identified problems in a later government decision. As of 2024, certain impacts on adjacent Natura 2000 areas had not been assessed, in particular those affecting sensitive bird species protected in the Karula special conservation area, as well as the Kubija Lake special conservation area.
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Noise affecting residents
The court separately drew attention to the lack of effective measures to reduce noise exposure for people living near the training area. The state acknowledged that during large-scale exercises, noise levels at the nearest homes exceed recommended limits for military noise. However, the court described the measures applied as general, as they did not provide for specific restrictions or guarantees.
The court noted that the noise assessment was based on the assumption that there would be no shooting at night, although this assumption was not confirmed in practice. Night-time noise standards are lower than daytime ones. In the court's view, measures must either ensure compliance with noise limits in all homes or give people exposed to excessive noise an effective opportunity to avoid such impact.
If the identified shortcomings are remedied, the state may issue a new decision on expanding the training area, which may be similar in substance to the previous one but will contain the necessary additions. The decision has not yet entered into force. It may be appealed to the Tallinn Circuit Court within 30 days.
