Access to justice update from ClientEarth and Justice and Environment

Editorial

Council of the EU asks the Commission to comply with access to justice provisions of the Aarhus Convention

The question of whether the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) has teeth can be answered in the positive. Last April 2017, the ACCC found the EU in violation of the access to justice provisions of the Aarhus Convention for not providing access to the EU courts to members of the public. Following that decision, the Council has decided to take the lead to ensure the EU is brought into compliance with the international treaty...Read the full article by Anaïs Berthier, Senior lawyer, environmental democracy at ClientEarth.

Our Analysis

Hungarian Court rules that lack of information cannot be an obstacle to access to justice
The court decided that citizens who are not informed of the construction of a planned project in their neighborhood cannot be denied access to courts because they missed the deadline to challenge that project. Read the full analysis by Csaba Kiss.

EU Ombudsman’s decision reinforces lack of access to justice in State aid matters
In a disappointing decision, the European Ombudsman has confirmed the EU Commission’s interpretation of the State aid rules that only competitors can have the status of “an interested party”. Read the full analysis by Anne Friel.

20 years since the adoption of the Aarhus Convention
It wasn’t just any normal Working group of the Parties meeting which took place on 19-21 June 2018. Parties, NGOs, academics, and many diverse stakeholders all came together to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Aarhus Convention. Read the full article by Summer Kern and Csaba Kiss.

The Project

Access to justice is a fundamental means through which citizens and NGOs can support the implementation and enforcement of laws and policies to protect the environment. The goal of this ATOJ-EARL project is to achieve "Access to justice for a greener Europe". It strives to enhance access to justice in environmental matters by providing information, training and support for the judiciary, public authorities and lawyers of eight European member states.

For more information, visit our website.

ClientEarth and Justice and Environment are implementing this project with the financial support of the European Commission's LIFE instrument.

Contact :
Anais Berthier, Senior Lawyer and Project Lead
Diane Vandesmet, Events and Communications officer
accesstojustice@clientearth.org