The EU Aarhus Regulation and EU Administrative Acts Based on the Aarhus Regulation: the Withdrawal of the CJEU from the Aarhus Convention

2019 ◽  
pp. 52-73
Author(s):  
Katja Rath
Keyword(s):  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
The Eu

scholarly journals The democratisation of European nature governance 1992–2015: introducing the comparative nature governance index

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Kingston ◽  
Zizhen Wang ◽  
Edwin Alblas ◽  
Micheál Callaghan ◽  
Julie Foulon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

AbstractEuropean environmental governance has radically transformed over the past two decades. While traditionally enforcement of environmental law has been the responsibility of public authorities (public authorities of the EU Member States, themselves policed by the European Commission), this paradigm has now taken a democratic turn. Led by changes in international environmental law and in particular the UNECE Aarhus Convention (UNECE, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention (1998). Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention), signed on June 25, 1998.), EU law now gives important legal rights to members of the public and environmental non-governmental organisations (“ENGOs”) to become involved in environmental governance, by means of accessing environmental information, participating in environmental decision-making and bringing legal proceedings. While doctrinal legal and regulatory scholarship on this embrace of “bottom-up” private environmental governance is now substantial, there has been relatively little quantitative research in the field. This article represents a first step in mapping this evolution of environmental governance laws in the EU. We employ a leximetrics methodology, coding over 6000 environmental governance laws from three levels of legal sources (international, EU and national), to provide the first systematic data showing the transformation of European environmental governance regimes. We develop the Nature Governance Index (“NGI”) to measure how the enforcement tools deployed in international, EU and national law have changed over time, from the birth of the EU’s flagship nature conservation law, the 1992 Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC). At the national level, we focus on three EU Member States (France, Ireland and the Netherlands) to enable a fine-grained measurement of the changes in national nature governance laws over time. This article introduces our unique datasets and the NGI, describes the process used to collect the datasets and its limitations, and compares the evolution in laws at the international, EU and national levels over the 23-year period from 1992–2015. Our findings provide strong empirical confirmation of the democratic turn in European environmental governance, while revealing the significant divergences between legal systems that remain absent express harmonisation of the Aarhus Convention’s principles in EU law. Our data also set the foundations for future quantitative legal research, enabling deeper analysis of the relationships between the different levels of multilevel environmental governance.

scholarly journals International legal regulation of the right to adequate environment

2003 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-103
Author(s):  
Vid Vukasovic
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Eu

The article deals with some key issues concerning the evolution of the concept of the right to adequate environment. The evolution took several decades to reach the present state in which it is obvious that the right has been accepted as one of the so called third generation human rights by both doctrine and practice, in international environmental law as well as in national environmental legislation of a number of countries. In the first phase of development only some elements of the right existed within the ?classical? human rights (the right to life, the right to health etc.) of so called first and second generation. The turning point was the UN Stockholm 1972 Conference on the environment. The right was inserted in the first principle, of the Declaration accepted by the conference, and already had most of its main elements: the right to adequate living conditions in an environment with the quality that not only guarantees healthy life but a life in dignity and well-being. After the Stockholm Conference, the right was embraced by a part of the doctrine, and increasingly mentioned and discussed within the frame of the UNEP, the relevant UN specialized agencies, as well as by some other international organizations active in the field of environmental protection. The result of this acceptance was an increasing insertion of the right in international treaties as well as in various declaratory documents, on both universal and regional levels. The author devotes a part of his article to the development in Europe, and especially to the work of the Council of Europe, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the EU. The author believes that most important development in Europe occurred within the ?Environment for Europe Process?, under the aegis of the UNECE. The result of it was signing of the Aarhus Convention (1998), one of most important international treaties signed until now. First of all, it regulates two important fields - protection of human rights and protection of environment. In it not only the right to adequate environment is explicitly mentioned in the Art. 1, but the main elements of the right are regulated in detail. The three ?pillars? of the Convention are devoted to the right to environmental information, the right of citizens to participate in environmental matters and the right to access to justice in matters concerning the environmental protection. It should be added that the Aarhus Convention has become a part of the EU legislation. Due to that, the whole process of implementation of the convention has become unavoidable for all candidate countries, as a proof of their intent to apply in practice environmental legislation and to democratise their societies.

Lisbon and Access to Justice for Environmental NGOs: A Watershed? A Case Study Using the Setting of the Total Allowable Catches under the Common Fisheries Policy

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-410
Author(s):  
Charlotte Herman
Keyword(s):  
Lisbon Treaty ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Environmental Ngos ◽  
Locus Standi ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
Fisheries Policy ◽  
The Common ◽  
Gain Access ◽  
The Eu

AbstractBefore the Lisbon Treaty, environmental non - governmental organisations could rarely or not satisfy the admissibility test to gain access to the European courts. This contribution examines whether the rules on locus standi under the Lisbon Treaty will facilitate their access to justice. Attention will be given to what is understood by a 'regulatory act', the EU obligations under the Aarhus Convention and whether the new perspectives within the Lisbon Treaty will allow environmental non - governmental organisations to challenge TAC Regulations.

A first success in the long run for better access to justice in the EU: The scope of the administrative review procedure provided under Regulation 1367/2006 invalidated by the General Court

elni Review ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 92-96
Author(s):  
Anaïs Berthier
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Air ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
European Union Law ◽  
Maximum Residue Level ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
Review Procedure ◽  
Administrative Review ◽  
The Eu

The EU General Court adopted two long awaited decisions on 14 June 2012 in cases T-338/08 and T-396/09 in which it interprets for the first time Regulation 1367/2006 (the Aarhus Regulation) that applies the Aarhus Convention to EU institutions and bodies. The General Court also departs from the caselaw of the Court on the possibility for the Courts to examine the validity of an act of European Union law in the light of an international treaty. The author of this article supports this ruling and provides arguments that advocate a broadening of the control of legality of EU law. In both decisions, the General Court held that the regulation was not compatible with the Convention with regard to the types of acts that could be challenged through the administrative procedure provided by the Aarhus Regulation. Art. 10 of Regulation 1367/2006 allows NGOs to challenge decisions of EU institutions which constitute 'administrative acts'. In case T-338/08, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) applicants made a request to the Commission to review Regulation 149/2008 setting maximum residue level for certain products. In case T-396/09, NGOs asked the Commission to review the decision granting the Kingdom of the Netherlands a temporary exemption from the obligations laid down by Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. In both cases, the Commission considered the requests inadmissible claiming that the concerned acts were not 'administrative acts' as defined in Art. 2(1)(g) of Regulation 1367/2006 because they were not of 'individual scope'. The Court annulled both decisions. It therefore broadened the interpretation of the right access to justice for NGOs in environmental matters. A great move forward one might hope, but the Commission has appealed against both judgments. In this article, it is examined what real added value these decisions have with regards to access to justice. The author demonstrates that even though these decisions allow a broader category of acts, including those adopted through comitology, to be challenged under the administrative review procedure provided by the Aarhus Regulation, the decisions still do not ensure compliance of EU law with the Aarhus Convention. In this regard, the author sees that the appeal of the Commission focuses on the relationship between international law and EU law and the role of the latter as a 'benchmark' and legal basis to invalidate acts of secondary law.

Public participation in decisions on specific activities in environmental matters in Croatia

elni Review ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Lana Ofak
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
Specific Activities ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Eu

Croatia finished accession negotiations with the EU in June 2011. The Accession Treaty was signed on 9 December 2011. The EU accession referendum in Croatia was held in January 2012 with a positive outcome. 66.27% of Croatian citizens voted in favour of Croatian accession to the European Union and 33.13% of votes were against the accession. Following ratification of the Accession Treaty by the 27 EU member states, accession of Croatia to the EU is expected to take place on 1 July 2013. In the 2011 Progress Report, European Commission stated that there has been progress in the area of environment. Overall, Croatia’s environmentorientated preparations are nearing completion in terms of both alignment and implementation of the relevant legislation. However, implementation of the horizontal acquis, and in particular effective public participation and access to justice in environmental matters, need to be improved. The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly, it provides a general overview of the legal framework for public participation in decisions on specific activities in Croatia, which is intended to implement provisions of Art. 6 of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (hereinafter: the Aarhus Convention or Convention). Implementation of Art. 7 and 8 of the Aarhus Convention are not discussed. Secondly, specific problems in exercising the right to participate in environmental impact assessment procedures in Croatia are analysed. It is shown that there are cases of non-compliance with the provisions of Art. 6 of the Aarhus Convention.

Direct Public Access to EU Courts: Upholding Public International Law via the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee

2012 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Marsden
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Public Access ◽  
State Courts ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public International Law ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Eu

This article examines the opportunities for individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to obtain access to justice in the European Union (EU) via international law. In the context of the first part of a concluded case before the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC), it reviews the EU rules that restrict standing and examines whether the preliminary reference procedure from Member State courts provides an effective alternative to direct access to EU courts. Based on the general findings and recommendations, and analysis of the relationship between international and EU law, it is argued that there remains a need for greater EU compliance with the Convention, with the implication that EU primary as well as secondary law may need to be reformed if public international law obligations are to be fully met.

scholarly journals Access to justice in State aid: how recent legal developments are opening ways to challenge Commission State aid decisions that may breach EU environmental law

ERA Forum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette Delarue ◽  
Sebastian D. Bechtel
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Law ◽  
Current System ◽  
Internal Market ◽  
State Aid ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
The Eu

AbstractAccess to justice in State aid matters is very limited. In particular, the admissibility test before the Court of Justice of the EU excludes private parties who are not market operators. The recent CJEU ruling in the Hinkley Point C case and the findings of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee call into question the adequacy of the current system. The findings demand an opening for non-market actors, including non-governmental organisations, to allege breaches of EU environmental law by the beneficiary of a State aid measure and consequently, the incompatibility of the aid measure with the internal market.

INFORMACIÓN ADMINISTRATIVA Y TRANSPARENCIA EN LA ORDENACIÓN DEL TERRITORIO Y EL MEDIO AMBIENTE

2009 ◽  
pp. 183-215
Author(s):  
IÑAKI LASAGABASTER HERRARTE
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Democratic Culture ◽  
The Public ◽  
Aarhus Convention ◽  
Nuevas Tecnologías ◽  
Informative Content ◽  
Judicial Protection ◽  
The Eu

Los derechos de acceso, participación y tutela judicial, así como la difusión de información en materia ambiental han sufrido una gran evolución como consecuencia de la ratifi cación del Convenio de Aarhus. Tanto la Unión Europea como los diferentes Estados han ratifi cado este Convenio. No se puede menos que afi rmar el carácter democráticamente avanzado de esta normativa, aunque la distancia entre norma y realidad parece agrandarse en esta materia. Así lo pone de manifi esto el autor cuando evidencia la utilización de instrumentos como la validación legislativa, es decir, la intervención de los Parlamentos para legalizar en algunos casos, o permitir en otros, intervenciones que los Tribunales han considerado ilegales. En este punto la participación se niega radicalmente, imponiéndose vía parlamentaria decisiones de ordenación del territorio que deberían adoptarse por otros procedimientos y, en especial, respetando los procesos participativos de la población. Las nuevas tecnologías de la información ofrecen los instrumentos necesarios para lograr que el acceso y la difusión de la información sean más fácilmente realizables. En materia ambiental se ha producido un avance importante, aunque la confrontación entre los derechos a la información y la obligación de difusión de los poderes públicos no se cumple con la debida efi - cacia, tal como se evidencia en este estudio al realizar un análisis de las páginas web que deben tener un contenido informativo ambiental determinado. Concluye el autor llamando la atención sobre la necesidad de modifi car la cultura democrática existente para que los derechos de acceso y participación y la difusión de la información en materia de ordenación del territorio y el medio ambiente se apliquen adecuadamente. Ingurumen arloan, sarbide, partaidetza eta tutoretza judizialeko eskubideak, bai eta informazioaren zabalkundeak ere, bilakaera handia izan dute, Aarhusko Hitzarmena berrestearen ondorioz. Europar Batasunak nahiz estatu guztiek berretsi dute hitzarmen hori. Baieztatu egin behar da, inondik ere, araudi horren izaera demokratikoki aurreratua, nahiz eta arauaren eta errealitatearen arteko aldea handitu egiten bide den arlo honetan. Horrela jartzen du agerian egileak, legebiltzar-berrespena bezalako tresnak erabiltzen direla baieztatzen duenean, hau da, legebiltzarren esku-hartzea epaitegiek legez kanpokotzat jo dituzten esku- hartze batzuk legeztatzeko zenbait kasutan, edo ahalbidetzeko beste batzuetan. Gai horretan, partaidetza erabat ukatzen da, eta legebiltzarraren bidez beste prozedura batzuen bitartez ¿eta bereziki, biztanleriaren partaidetza-prozesuak errespetatuz¿ hartu beharko liratekeen erabakiak ezartzen dira lurralde-antolamenduaren arloan. Informazioaren teknologia berriek beharrezko tresnak eskaintzen dituzte, informazioaren sarbidea eta zabalkundea errazago egin ahal izaten daitezen. Ingurumenaren arloan, aurrerapen handi bat gertatu da, nahiz eta herritarrek informazioa jasotzeko eskubideen eta aginte publikoek zabalkundea egiteko betebeharraren arteko oreka ez den behar bezalako eraginkortasunez betetzen. Horrela frogatzen da azterlan honetan, ingurumen arloko informazioeduki jakin bat izan behar duten web-orrialdeen azterketa egiten denean. Eta amaitzeko, egileak honako hau nabarmentzen du: dagoen kultura demokratikoa aldatu behar da, sarbideko eta partaidetzako eskubideak eta informazioaren zabalkundea, lurraldearen antolamenduren eta ingurumenaren arloan, behar bezala aplika daitezen. The rights to access, participation and judicial protection together with the dissemination of information in environmental matters have undergone a great evolution because of the ratifi cation of the Aarhus Convention. Both the EU and different States did ratify this Convention. The democratically advanced nature of this Convention has to be stated, although the gap between rule and reality seems to become wider in this area. That is what the author points out by showing the use of instruments as the legislative convalidation, that is, the intervention by Parliaments to legalize in some cases, or authorizing in others, actions considered illegal by the courts. Regarding this point, participation is radically vetoed, and decisions on zoning which should have been adopted by means of other procedures, specially by observing participative procedures, are imposed by the Parliaments. New technologies of information offer the necessary instruments to attain that access to and dissemination of information are easy. There has been an important advance in the environmental fi eld although the confrontation between the rights to information and the obligation of dissemination by the public authorities is not fulfi lled with the due effectiveness, as it is proved by the analysis of the web sites which must have a specifi ed informative content. The author fi nishes this article attracting our attention to the need of change in the existing democratic culture so as to apply properly the rights of access and participation and the dissemination of the information in the fi eld of zoning and environment.

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