Bruxelles, 15/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 15 July, the European Commission launched a public consultation, open until 23 September 2013, to help identify the best options for improving the access of EU citizens and NGOs to legal assistance when they want to contest a decision or the lack of an environmental decision being taken by the public authorities, a right that is guaranteed by EU legislation but which is not always implemented.
All the stakeholders are being called on to make known their views on three main issues: - the importance of guaranteeing effective and efficient access to the legal system on environmental matters in member states; - options for guaranteeing effective and efficient access to the legal system on environmental issues; - aspects that facilitate action at EU level.
The Commission is hoping to receive as many contributions as possible on what action should be taken at EU level to complement or clarify existing legislation, in an effort to guarantee effective and fair access to national courts on all environment questions. Analysis of the contributions received will help it to work out whether binding legislation is appropriate or some other means, such as the drawing up of guidelines, should be used.
Under the International Convention of Aahrus, the Commission already proposed, in 2003, legislation on legal access on environmental issues, in order to regulate aspects such as opportunities for going to court when environmental questions were at stake. However, discussions with the Council and the European Parliament have yet to be concluded. So far, case law is the only way of tackling these shortcomings, which is a source of legal insecurity that needs to be rectified. (AN/transl.fl)