Aarhus Convention
- (Photo: UN Environment Programme)
International agreement linking environmental and human rights. It was adopted on 25th June 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in the 'Environment for Europe' process, and entered into force on 30 October 2001.
The convention allows for citizens to access information, participate in decision-making and have access to justice in environmental matters.
The EC is a Party to the Convention since May 2005 (Decision 2005/370/EC). The first pillar of the Convention on public access to information was implemented at Community level by Directive 2003/04/EC on public access to environmental information. The second pillar, which deals with public participation in environmental procedures, was transposed by Directive 2003/35/EC. A proposal for a Directive published in October 2003 is intended to transpose the third pillar which guarantees public access to justice in environmental matters. Finally, a Regulation adopted in 2006 is intended to guarantee the application of the provisions and principles of the Convention by Community institutions and bodies.
Notes
Named after the Danish town of Aarhus, where the convention took place. The former Danish Minister of Environmental Affairs, Svend Auken, chaired the meeting.
Links
website of the convention: http://www.unece.org/env/pp/
Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters (Decision 2005/370/EC): http://ec.europa.eu/environmen......aarhus/pdf/dec_2005_370_en.pdf
