legal protection in connection with the law on the protection of the environment. Nuclear power plant construction, fait accompli in planning law, reduction of legal protection against ecologically unfavourable large-scale projects. Geulen,-R. The main cause of the reduction of legal protection against decisions under planning law and faits accomplis created during planning seems to stem from the practice adopted by those initiating and having an interest in projects, namely to prepare and somewhat anticipate the essential decisions long before government-controlle planning sets in. In fact, the licensing authorities which, according to their legal function, would have to check applications of operators with regard to licensing requirements, see themselves confined to follow a slow process of amalgamation with given, and, sometimes, factually executed planning decisions. In addition, the situation of the authorities regarding personnel and time does not allow them to carry out factual checking in its proper sense of, for example, licensing requirements for nuclear power plant construction. This process of amalgamation discussed by the author has an impact on the functions to be fulfilled by the courts, and on legal protection in general. The prognosis given by the author says that, due to this lack of efficient control by governmental authorities and courts especially in connection with the planning of large-scale projects likely to have an unfavourable effect on the environment, those persons or groups of persons feeling themselves insufficiently protected by the legal system, will more and more have recourse to political action rather than legal action. (orig.).
