Justice and EnvironmentWhat do we do?
J&E uses legal tools for the identification of problems and to offer solutions for the implementation of EU or international environmental law. For this, we provide legal analyses of the implementation of certain directives or regulations in different EU countries, and prepare case studies to illustrate the 'real' practice on the national or cross-border level. Results or conclusions from our work are often reflected in J&E position papers that provide clear information about problems or developments in certain areas of law, as well as J&E opinion on how to improve the situation.
J&E lawyers are experts in environmental law, experienced within their national legal systems and the challenges faced by their respective communities. J&E members often serve as environmental law 'service points' in their countries, handling cases from practice, but also participating in legislative processes and, in some cases, working closely together with their governments and providing legal analyses or advice for them.
At the European level, J&E uses its national experience and knowledge to identify common and/or systematic problems in the implementation of EU and international law. During the past seven years, this has involved a series of topics, starting from the Aarhus Convention that grants access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making and access to justice in environmental cases to legal challenges in mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
We inform national and EU authorities about our findings, trying to initiate discussions or legislative initiatives on relevant topics of environmental law. For that purpose, J&E co-operates with several stakeholder groups, such as the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Friends of the Earth Europe or the CEE Bankwatch Network.