Sustainability and EU Law : Latest Tendencies in the Field of Public Participation in Environmental Matters

Abstract

“Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level”. The wording of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration draws the attention to the fact that public participation is a crucial element of ensuring environmental sustainability. The current paper aims to present developments related to two aspects of public participation in environmental matters at the level of EU law: the role of public consultation in environmental decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters. Concerning the first topic, the paper raises the question how public consultations appear in the recent case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, how their efficient implementation can be verified. As regards the second topic, the paper covers the new proposal, which aims to widen the possibility of access to justice for non-governmental organizations in environmental matters. Through the combination of the descriptive-analytical and the case-based approach, the findings of the current research can give useful insights into the practical and theoretical questions of public participation in environmental matters at the level of EU-law. At the same time the conclusions can support the more efficient participation of all concerned citizens in environmental matters.