Study on the EU implementation of the Aarhus Convention

The study on the EU implementation of the Aarhus Convention prepared by Milieu, with contributions from Collingwood Environmental Planning and ICF for the European Commission has been published this month. The study forms a key part of the European Commission’s commitment to developing a response to findings of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee regarding the possibility for members of the public, including environmental associations, to legally challenge EU acts for violations of EU environmental law. The study maps and analyses all administrative and judicial challenges to EU acts to date and assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the EU’s current system of administrative and judicial redress in light of the Aarhus Convention requirements. Based on the findings, the study presents a number of legislative and non-legislative measures and options and an assessment of their economic, social and environmental impacts. The Milieu study supports a Commission Report on this issue, which paves the way for future decision-making.