Access to justice in environmental matters in the EU

Book abstract:

The problem of access to justice in environmental issues is an ever-expanding one for the EU (European Union). Similarly, the question of environmental protection, taken as a whole, has become an increasingly popular and contentious one throughout the world, with growing calls for more consistency, better regulations and tighter EU laws. Along with detailed discussions of EC law in general terms and its application in each individual Member State, this book doubles as both a thematic and comparative introduction into the field, one which aims to clarify both the problems and the future facing the environmental situation. Its English version contains chapter summaries in French, and its French version contains chapter summaries in English.

In the main, the book compares the environmental legal situation in fifteen participant countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. These are broken down into individual chapters, from various contributors. After the introduction, there is also a sub-section on general principles on access to justice, which include the interactions between administration and the judicial system in decision-making on environmental issues, the constitutional perspective, the dilemma over distinguishing public and private interests, possible bases for review, remedies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the access of foreign subjects to the judicial procedures dealing with the environment.