The European Commission adopted on Wednesday 14 October a legislative proposal amending Regulation 1367/2006 transposing the Aarhus International Convention into EU law in order to allow better public scrutiny of EU acts in the field of the environment and better public access to justice.
This proposal to amend the Regulation follows a judgment of the EU Court of Justice which condemned the fact that Regulation 1367/2006 limits the possibility for citizens to challenge acts of public authorities to a reduced scope.
On Wednesday, the Commission also adopted a Communication on facilitating access to justice in environmental matters for individuals and NGOs in EU Member States.
National and local authorities take many important decisions when applying Community environmental law, for example, when granting permits for infrastructure projects or industrial installations that may pollute nature and soil, air or water.
Hence the importance of improving public scrutiny of these decisions, as well. The aim is to remove certain practical or formal obstacles to bringing cases to court, including unreasonable court costs and restrictive procedural rules that limit the ability of NGOs to represent the public interest.
In addition, the Commission intends to take steps to help Member States improve their systems for training, information sharing and capacity building. However, it states that it is ready to initiate infringement proceedings in the event of failure to comply with the requirements of EU law.
For more information: https://bit.ly/311XM9N (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)