On Friday 7 February, the European Commission launched a consultation inviting interested parties to submit their comments on amendments to State aid Implementing Regulation No 794/2004 as regards new rules on access to justice following the conclusions of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee.
The draft implementing regulation and the amended best practices code set out a new mechanism which allows members of the public to ask the Commission to review certain State aid decisions to determine whether they are contrary to EU environmental law. In the amended best practices code, the Commission sets out the details of the internal review procedure (e.g. who can request a review, which decisions can be reviewed), as well as the applicable deadlines.
The Commission also suggests updating other procedural rules, in line with its established practice and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Interested parties can respond to the consultation until 21 March 2025. The draft amendments will be discussed at a meeting between the Commission and the Member States. Adoption of the draft implementing regulation and the amended best practices code is scheduled for the second quarter of 2025.
Further details: https://aeur.eu/f/fea (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)