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Apply for recognition as a soil protection expert

  • Service description

    The Act on the Protection against Harmful Soil Changes and the Remediation of Contaminated Sites provides for the involvement of experts at several points. In order to be recognised as an expert in the field of soil protection, you must meet the following requirements:

    1. provide evidence of the required expertise (qualified training, practical experience, further training)

    2. availability of technical equipment (does not have to be owned, access can be proven by concluded contracts)

    3. reliability and your personal integrity (evidence and declarations of personal, economic and organisational independence)

    Recognised experts or experts are recognised and active in six different subject areas:

    1. areal and site-specific survey/historical investigation

    2. risk assessment for the soil-water impact pathway

    3. risk assessment for the soil-plant impact pathway, precautions to limit substance inputs into the soil and during the application and introduction of materials

    4. risk assessment for the soil-human impact pathway 5. remediation

    6. hazard identification, assessment and defence against harmful soil changes due to soil erosion by water

    If the recognition authority has checked all the requirements and your professional suitability/expertise has been established, recognition and notification will be issued in the form of a decision and a certificate of recognition.

    The contact details of the recognised and notified experts are published in standardised directories. If you already have a public appointment in accordance with the German Trade Regulation Act in the field applied for and have completed suitable further training, you also provide proof of the necessary expertise for recognition in accordance with the Federal Soil Protection Act and investigation bodies for soil protection and contaminated sites. This means that there are some experts who, in addition to their public appointment under the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act, are also recognised under the Federal Soil Protection Act. Experts whose expertise, reliability and technical equipment have been checked in another federal state in accordance with comparable requirements are also recognised as experts under the Federal Soil Protection Act. A new inspection is not required.

  • Procedure

    You can submit the application in writing or electronically.

    Once you have submitted the application and all documents are complete, the competent body will check whether all requirements for recognition as an expert have been met.

    You will then receive a notification of fees. The fees are generally due when the application is submitted.

    In addition, the recognition authorities check your reliability, technical equipment and liability insurance. Your technical suitability is checked by committees or specialised bodies for soil protection and contaminated sites. You must also bear the costs here. The review procedure usually consists of an assessment of the expert reports you have submitted, as well as a written report and a technical discussion. You will generally be informed of the result of the review in writing. On request, the decision can be explained in an interview. If the recognition authority has checked all the requirements and your professional suitability/expertise has been established, you will be recognised and notified by official notice and receive a certificate. Your recognition will be published in the nationwide list of experts and also announced in the publication organ of the recognition authority.

  • Prerequisites

    In order to be recognised as an expert in the field of soil protection, you must prove that you

    • have the necessary, comprehensive expertise,
    • have the necessary technical equipment and the required liability insurance for the expert activity and
    • Prove your personal reliability.
  • Which documents are required?

    • Name of the subject area applied for
    • Curriculum vitae in tabular form with professional background and passport photo
    • Description of current professional activities
    • Certificate of good conduct "for submission to an authority" in the original (not older than three months) and/or consent to obtain unrestricted information from the Federal Central Criminal Register in expert matters
    • Copies of certificates
    • Proof of liability insurance or a concrete declaration of intent to take out insurance for an appropriate amount
    • Proof of activity from the last three years with a list of objects showing the type of expertises worked on independently during this time and the topics and issues dealt with as well as any associated contacts and reference persons
    • in the last five years prior to application, independently prepared expert opinions or expert opinions with labelled own contributions, five per subject area applied for.
    • Possibly other written work that is suitable to demonstrate the required expertise (scientific publications, work aids, etc.)
    • Proof of subject-specific further training in the last three years

    Explanations about it,

    • that the applicant is in good financial standing;
    • whether proceedings have been pending against him personally or in his capacity as legal representative of a commercial company in the last 10 years prior to the application concerning the submission of an affidavit in the context of enforcement proceedings;
    • whether insolvency proceedings have been opened against his or her assets or the assets of a company of which he or she was a director or managing director, or rejected for lack of assets;
    • whether he or she is under investigation or has been under investigation in the last five years but the investigation was discontinued
    • whether penalties have been imposed on him or her by a German or foreign court (date, reason, sentence);
    • whether, when and to which body he or she has at any time applied to be publicly appointed and sworn in as an expert.
    • Experts who are in an employment or civil servant relationship also require a declaration of exemption from their employer or employer

    Please contact the authority responsible for you to find out whether you need to submit further documents.

  • What fees are incurred?

    Is based on the respective administrative fee schedule of the federal state or on the fee statutes of the authorities responsible under federal state law.

  • What deadlines do I have to observe?

    none

  • Processing time

    The necessary examinations are very extensive and can take between six and eighteen months, depending on the area of appointment.

  • Legal basis

  • Applications / Forms

    • Informal application possible: No
    • Personal appearance required: Yes
  • What else should I know?

    There are no indications or special features.

  • Further information

    Information on contact persons, chambers and appointment requirements can be found here: Expert directory
    page

    Further information on country-specific responsibilities and special regulations can be found here: Research system page for measuring stations and experts

  • Short text

    • Experts for the area of the Federal Soil Protection Act Recognition
    • Recognition and notification of experts in accordance with the Federal Soil Protection Act
    • Experts can be recognised for six different subject areas within the scope of the Federal Soil Protection Act if they have the required expertise, reliability and technical equipment
    • Duration of proceedings 6 18 months
    • Publication in the nationwide directory of experts and in the ReSyMeSa database
    • Depending on the subject area, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Chamber of Civil Engineers or the Chamber of Agriculture is responsible
  • Typing

    3

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