In a position paper published on Monday 25 March, a coalition of European NGOs, including Climate Action Network Europe, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Europe) and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), exposes the shortcomings of the European Union’s climate governance mechanisms in terms of respect for procedural rights, in particular those established by the Aarhus Convention (see EUROPE 12806/8).
Pointing to the difficulties of the current governance of the European Climate Energy Union and its Climate Action (established at the end of 2018 by Regulation (EU) 2018/1999) in achieving the Paris Agreement targets, the publication highlights the inaccessibility of decision-making processes to citizens and other stakeholders, as well as the failure to comply with international standards.
The need for a partial revision of the regulation is supported by a current assessment, requested in particular by the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions, which criticises the inadequate implementation of the principles of environmental democracy.
The proposed revision would aim to improve transparency, access to justice and public participation in the development of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) (see EUROPE 13166/19) and long-term strategies for a climate-neutral EU.
The report stresses the urgent need to adopt a more inclusive and democratic approach in the fight against climate change, recalling the importance of citizen involvement in the development of environmental policies.
To see the recommendations: https://aeur.eu/f/bjg (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)