Aarhus

The Aarhus Convention is a binding international legal instrument based on three 'pillars': access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters. It guarantees the public the right to know what is happening in their environment, to participate in decisions about their surroundings and the natural resources that sustain their lives, and to seek redress and remedy by the courts if those rights are not met or their right to a healthy environment is violated.

J&E has always considered the Aarhus Convention one of the most important legal instruments that the environmental civil society can rely on. Therefore J&E produced legal analyses, case studies and position papers on issues relating to the implementation of access rights in Members States of the EU. J&E also prepared a public toolkit, monitored the practical implementation of the Aarhus Regulation adopted by the EU for European Union institutions, commented on legislative drafts of the EU in light of the Aarhus Convention, analyzed the case law of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee and of the European Court on Human Rights, and made national reports on the aftermath of major cases judged by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

All J&E outputs regarding the Aarhus Convention are available on the Publications page.