For some years now the NCEA has published a press release to accompany the publication of a review report. By doing so, it brings its report to the attention of local and national media. Working groups In effect, the NCEA is a large group of about 350 experts that is supported by a secretariat. When a review is requested the chair of the NCEA appoints a vicechair and technical secretary, who will select the experts (the number varies between two and ten) needed to carry out the review. Together they form a working group. The technical secretary then draws up a timetable to ensure the review is completed within the statutory time limit of six weeks. If the NCEA is voluntarily requested by the competent authority to take the views of the public into account, the time-frame is extended by three weeks. The experts read the documents and send their preliminary remarks and questions to the technical secretary. These questions are passed on to the competent authority to facilitate the preparation of a site visit. During this visit the competent authority is expected to answer the questions posed by the NCEA, show the NCEA where the project will take place and point out challenges or opportunities relating to the environment. At the request of the competent authority, the developer and affected parties may take part in the site visit. In some cases, the technical secretary will visit a public hearing to receive more local information about the project and its surroundings. After the site visit the working group withdraws for discussion. On the basis of this discussion the technical secretary prepares a first draft of the report, which is then discussed at the next meeting, after which a second draft is prepared. Meanwhile, the draft is co-read within the secretariat, to check its coherence with earlier reports on comparable projects and ensure that the language is nontechnical. The final draft is sent to the competent authority, which then usually accepts the invitation to attend a meeting at the NCEA for further explanation of the report. After this meeting the report is finalised and the press release is drawn up. Both will be published a few days after the meeting. 13
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