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Spain - Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) - Asociación GECEN – Aeropuerto de Castellón - Summary with a link to the judgement. Key issue: NGO standing (art. 2 and 9) - The special protection of the environment given by art. 45 of the Spanish Constitution, and the broad and collective interests and protections on Spanish citizens require a wide scope for legal standing in which environmental NGOs should have an important role. In addition to this, art. 23 of the national transposition law of the Aarhus Convention, establishes a quasi class action in environmental matters for non-profit organisations meeting a number of requirements. Key words: Access to Justice, Sufficient Interest, Non-governmental Organisations, Legal Standing. English | Spanish
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
Decision date: 25 Jun 2008

EU-Court of Justice-Court of First Instance - WWF-UK Ltd v Council of the European Union (cases C-355/08P and T-91/07) - Summary with a link to the court orders. Key issue: NGO Standing before the Court of First Instance and the European Court of Justice (art. 2 and 9) – The ECJ did not allow an environmental NGO to challenge a EU Regulation on cod fishing, as the NGO was not “individually concerned” by the contested decision. Key words: Standing, individual concern, Locus standi. English
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: Court of First Instance of the European Union
Court/Body: Court of Justice of the European Union
Decision date:

EU-Court of Justice-Djurgården-Lilla Värtans Miljöskyddsförening v Stockholms kommun genom dess marknämnd Sweden (C-263/08) - Summary with a reference to the preliminary ruling. Key issue: NGO standing (art. 2, 6 and 9) - National legislation could not limit standing for non-governmental organizations promoting environmental protection to organizations having at least 2000 members. Key words: Access to justice; public participation; public concerned; NGO standing; numeric criteria; Environmental Impact Assessment; EIA Directive; public participation; water abstraction; national legislation; sufficient interest English | Swedish
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: court of Justice of the European Union
Decision date: 15 Oct 2010

EU - Court of Justice - Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, Landesverband Nordrhein-Westfalen eV v. Bezirksregierung Arnsberg Germany (C-115/09) - Summary with a link to the preliminary ruling. Key issue: NGO standing (art. 2, 6 and 9) - National legislation cannot limit the opportunity to appeal decisions likely to have significant effects on the environment to those alleging impairment of an individual interest, rather than a public interest, when the claimant alleges infringement of a law flowing from EU environment law. Key words: Environmental Impact Assessment; EIA Directive; Habitats Directive; access to justice; NGOs; standing; impairment of a right; national legislation English | German
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: Court of Justice of the European Union
Decision date: 12 May 2011

EU-Court of Justice - Lesoochranárske zoskupenie VLK v Ministerstvo životného prostredia Slovakia (C-240/09) - Summary with a link to the preliminary ruling. Key issue: The requirements for public participation in environmental decisions (art. 3, 6 and 9) Key words: Public; public concerned; public participation; access to justice English | Slovak
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: Court of Justice of the European Union
Decision date: 8 Mar 2011

Latvia - Constitutional Court - 20 Deputies of the Saeima v. Cabinet of Ministers, No.2002-14-04 Olaine Incinerator. Issue: Access to environmental information, access to justice, public participation (art 3 para 2, art 4, art 6 (annex I para 5) art 9) Public participation - The State shall ensure that public authorities assist and provide guidance to the public in seeking access to information, in facilitating participation in decision-making and in seeking access to justice in environmental matters. English
Publisher: Constitutional Court
Court/Body: Constitutional Court
Decision date: 14 Feb 2003

Latvia - Constitutional Court - Coalition for Nature and Cultural Heritage Protection v. Riga City Council, No.2007-11-03 Freeport of Riga. Issue: Access to environmental information, access to justice, public participation (art 2, art 4, art 6, art 7, art 9) Right to live in a favourable environment - access to justice granted to individuals, as well as associations and groups of persons. For original judgment see: http://live.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/pp/a.to.j/Jurisprudence%20prj/LATVIA/RIGAS/LatviaConstCourtRigasJudgment24Sept08.pdf English
Publisher: Constitutional Court
Court/Body: Constitutional Court
Decision date: 17 Jan 2008

Belgium - Constitutional Court - M.-N. Solvay c.s. v. Walloon Region, Nr. 30/2010 - Summary with a link to the judgement. Issue: Public participation, access to justice and projects (art 2 para 2, art 3 para 9, art 6 para 9 and 9 para 2, 3 and 4) Aarhus Convention – Permits delivered or ratified by Parliament – Applicability - The question arises if the Aarhus Convention and the European Directives to implement the Convention are applicable or not to permits that are delivered by or ratified by Parliament given that the definition of “public authority” does not include bodies or institutions “acting in a legislative capacity” (art. 2 (2)). The Constitutional Court refers different questions on the interpretation of the Aarhus Convention and the related European Directives to the ECJ. Dutch | English | French | German
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: Constitutional Court
Court decision: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/pp/a.to.j/Jurisprudence_prj/BELGIUM/Belgium_2010_Solvay_c.s._v._Walloon_Region_fr.pdf
Decision date: 30 Mar 2010

Latvia - Constitutional Court - On Compliance of the Binding Regulation No. 67 of 19 December 2006 of the Riga City Council ‘Regulations of Use and Building of the Territory in Maskava Street 264 (Cadastre No. 01000780413) and Maskava Street without Number’ with Item 1 of Section 3 of the Spatial Planning Law, Item 4 of the First Part of Section 37 of the Protection Zone Law and art. 115 of the Satversme (Constitution) of the Republic of Latvia. (LV only). Issue: Access to environmental information, access to justice, public participation (art 2, art 4, art 6, art 7, art 9) Public participation - The Aarhus Convention provides broad public participation rights to persons and organizations which have declared as their objective operation in the domain of environment. English
Publisher: Constitutional Court
Court/Body: Constitutional Court
Decision date: 24 Sep 2008

Italy - Council of State - Region of Lombardia; ’La Rinascente’ v Legambiente, sez. IV, n. 8234 - Summary with a link to the judgement. Key issue: NGO standing (Art. 2, 7 and 9) - Legal standing of environmental associations and environmental interests affected by entrusting external subjects with building duties. Kew words: Standing and Sufficient Interest – Plans, programs and policies – Access to Justice English | Italian
Publisher: UNECE / Task Force on Access to Justice
Court/Body: Council of State
Decision date: 16 Dec 2003

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