European governments must decide whether environmental democracy is a key value for the twenty-first century

The Center for International Environmental Law argues that the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters is at a critical existential moment. The organization calls on 47 European and Central Asian states meeting in Montenegro to reaffirm their commitment to environmental democracy against rising trends of judicial attacks on NGOs, the influence of industry lobbyists, and the emergence of illiberal democracies.

• The Aarhus Convention is facing a critical period where its effectiveness is challenged by the rise of "illiberal democracies" in Europe and more repressive regimes in the east. Additionally, Brexit is expected to remove a layer of legal protection for 65 million UK citizens who will no longer have access to the European Court of Justice to enforce environmental rights.
• There is a concerning trend of governments attempting to undermine the authority of the Aarhus Convention's compliance committee. Specifically, the EU Commission previously proposed that member states act collectively to reject the committee's findings that access to justice within the EU was insufficient.
• Industry lobbyists are systematically undermining environmental policy by challenging its reliance on science and the precautionary principle, prioritizing shareholder profits over public welfare and human rights.
• Environmental activists and organizations globally are facing increasing threats, including violence and the use of legal and judicial tools by governments and the extractive industry to silence them, with specific mentions of trends in Russia, India, and the United States.

APA

Duyck, S. (2017). European governments must decide whether environmental democracy is a key value for the twenty-first century. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/european-governments-must-decide-whether-environmental-democracy-key-value-twenty-first-century/

Chicago

Duyck, Sébastien. European governments must decide whether environmental democracy is a key value for the twenty-first century. Center for International Environmental Law, 2017. https://www.ciel.org/european-governments-must-decide-whether-environmental-democracy-key-value-twenty-first-century/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Duyck |first1=Sébastien |title=European governments must decide whether environmental democracy is a key value for the twenty-first century |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=8 September 2017 |url=https://www.ciel.org/european-governments-must-decide-whether-environmental-democracy-key-value-twenty-first-century/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{duyck2017european, author = {Duyck, Sébastien}, title = {{European governments must decide whether environmental democracy is a key value for the twenty-first century}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/european-governments-must-decide-whether-environmental-democracy-key-value-twenty-first-century/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }