EPL issue 38/6 (2008) includes three articles on recent developments under the Convention, including this critical review by experts from the Independent Institute for Environmental Concerns (Germany) and WWF-UK. The article raises questions about the implementation of access to justice at national and regional (EU) levels and recent legal developments limiting public participation in decision-making in Germany and the United Kingdom. It also expresses concern over the issue of the legal standing of NGOs and the costliness of judicial proceedings. In spite of efforts to establish a new task force on public participation to support implementation of the Convention's provisions, the authors conclude that public participation is no longer en vogue in European Union countries.
