On Thursday 25 March, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) confirmed the inadmissibility of the action brought against the EU’s 2018 ‘climate package’ (case C-565/19 P) by the Swedish association Sámi and ten families who are active in the agricultural or tourism sectors.
The families, from the EU, Kenya and Fiji, had taken the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to court, arguing that the EU’s previous 2030 climate target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, is insufficient to protect lives, livelihoods and fundamental rights from the effects of climate change.
They therefore called for the climate legislation package that contains this target to be annulled and for the EU co-legislators to be ordered to adopt a reduction of at least 50–60%.
The Court ruled in favour of the EU General Court; they had found the application inadmissible on the grounds that the applicants were not uniquely affected by this legislative package.
Reacting to the CJEU decision, the lawyer defending the families said: “...EU courts failed to interpret existing rules in the context of climate change. This judgment is wholly unconvincing and only speaks of the fear of action by citizens”.
See the judgment: https://bit.ly/39cvmy0 (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)