The events in Subkowy, Rajkowy and Pelplin took form of one-to-one conversations with the investor’s representatives and the authors of the Environmental Impact Assessment report commissioned by Elektrownia Północ. No open debate on the negative impacts of the power plant was held.

Few citizens who did take part in the meetings were disappointed by the fact that their questions about negative impact of the investment on their home region remained unanswered and that it was unreflectively presented as completely harmless. They pointed out that they already could have read it in the investor’s ‘Nasza elektrownia’ (‘Our power plant’) ad enclosed to a local newspaper. What is more, they had a feeling that the difficult, technical jargon used by the experts made the controversial issues even more unclear.

Even though the meetings were presented in the media as public consultations it must be noted that it was no more than the investor’s private initiative. The proper consultations are part of the administrative proceedings related to building permit and are held be the competent body – in this case the starost of Tczew.

Meanwhile each day new citizens decide to express their opinion about the investment and are searching for reliable information on its impacts. Unlike the meetings with the investor, which didn’t excite much interest, the administrative proceedings related to the building permit for Elektrownia Północ have already met with response – several dozens of local citizens have submitted their applications to participate in the proceedings as party. Apparently, what the people of Kociewie region really need are neither sweets with the EP logo nor a photo-contest for children, but that their rights to decide on the future of their homeland is being taken seriously.