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Analysis of Court Decisions in the Area of Environmental Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012

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Analysis of Court Decisions in the Area of Environmental Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012 Analysis of Court Decisions in the Area of Environmental Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012 Authors: Mirna Delalić Ratko Pilipović Damir Petrović Any opinion or statement contained in this publication, which has not been indicated explicitly as originating from the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, does not necessarily reflect the official policy of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina has supported the printing of this material. This report has been developed with the technical and administrative support provided within the project titled: “Strengthening the Rule of Law through Improved Access to Judiciary in Environmental Matters”, funded by the German Government and with the participation of the Environment and Security Initiative. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 39 1. THE BiH NATIONAL STRUCTURE AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FROM THE ASPECT OF ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ...........................................................................................................41 2. LEGAL AND JUDICIAL PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT ...................................................45 2.1. Administrative and Legal Environment Protection from the Aspect of the Rights Set Forth in the Aarhus Convention ...........................................................................................................................45 2.1.1. Right to Access Information .............................................................................45 2.1.1.1. Obligation of Public Authorities to Act Upon Requests for Access to Information..46 2.1.1.2. Exemptions from the Obligation to Deliver Information .................................47 a) Exemption from Publicising in Regard to Public Authorities’ Functions ...............47 b) Exemption for Confidential Commercial Information ............................................48 c) Exemption for the Protection of Personal Privacy .......................................49 2.1.1.3. Obligation to Test Public Interest .............................................................50 2.1.2. Right to Public Participation in Decision-Making ....................................................50 2.1.3. Right to Access Justice ...................................................................................51 2.1.4. Conclusion ...................................................................................................53 2.2. Protection of Environment through Criminal Law in BiH ......................................................54 a) Crimes against Environment in BiH ................................................................................54 b) Basics of Criminal Procedure in BiH ...............................................................................56 2.2.1. Environmental Protection Efficiency Analysis through Criminal Law in BiH in 2012 .........56 a) Overall Efficiency of Relevant Prosecutor’s Offices in Terms of Crimes against Environment .......................................................................................................................57 b) Diversity of Crimes against Environment in BiH per Confirmed Indictments .....................58 c) Types of Criminal Sanction Pronounced in Completed Cases of Crimes against Environment in BiH .............................................................................................................59 2.2.2. Conclusion ...................................................................................................60 2.3. Protection of Environment through Minor Offence Law in BiH in 2012 ...................................60 a) Basics of the Minor Offence Procedure ...........................................................................61 2.3.1. Environmental Protection Analysis through Minor Offence Law in BiH ........................63 2.3.2. Conclusion ...................................................................................................64 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................64 APPENDIX 1 ......................................................................................................................65 Analysis of Court Decisions in the Area of Environmental Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012 39 INTRODUCTION The environment, as a natural surrounding encompassing the air, water, soil, flora and fauna, climate and their overall interdependence and interaction and cultural heritage created by men, including cities and other settlements and infrastructural, industrial and other facilities, requires special protection at both international and state and local levels. Environmental protection and improvement are amongst the most prominent problems faced by modern society. Fast scientific and technological developments, the application of new and powerful energy sources, the construction of a large number of industrial facilities and the creation of large urban areas, have led, particularly in the past several decades, to extremely high levels of pollution of basic natural resources, to a misbalance in the ‘man-environment’ harmony and to serious threats to natural conditions needed for environmental preservation. This ultimately brings into question the survival of men and planet Earth as we know it. This is exactly why the importance of environmental protection imposes a challenge to every society and country including the international community, individual states and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) itself. The United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE) have endorsed a spectrum of documents referring to environmental protection, including the UN Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters i.e. the so-called Aarhus Convention which represents one of the core legal instruments in the fight of individuals and the overall public to preserve a healthy environment. The significance of rights set forth in the Aarhus Convention lies in the fact that access to information is key to exercising any right, including the right to protect the environment, for only an informed person can respond adequately in every life situation. BiH is a signatory to most of the international documents pertaining to environmental protection, having joined the Aarhus Convention on 15 September 20081 thus committing to act upon the provisions contained therein. In addition, the provisions of the Aarhus Convention have been largely incorporated into national environment-related legislation2. It is important to stress the EU-level environmental acquis communautaire3 which provides for many directives, decrees and decisions regulating the protection of particular environmental matters4, in compliance with the Aarhus Convention. For BiH, the relevance of legislation and the overall acquis communautaire lies in the fact that the unique EU membership commitment implies that all countries aspiring to join the EU must consolidate their national regulations, rules and procedures with the acquis communautaire in order to uphold the effect of the body of regulations contained therein. BiH, as a country aspiring towards EU membership, signed on 26 June 2008 in Luxemburg the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and its member states, which was ratified by the BiH Presidency on 06 November 20085. This gained BiH the status of so-called “potential candidate”. Though the SAA has not taken effect yet, having in mind that the EU expects BiH to meet additional conditions6, its commitment to legislative consolidation, provided for in Article 70 of the SAA, has been in effect since the signing date. 1 Official Gazette of BiH, No. 8/08. 2 FBiH Law on Environmental Protection (Official Gazette of FBiH, Nos. 33/03 and 38/09); RS Law on Environmental Protection (Official Gazette of RS, No. 71/12) and Law on Environmental Protection of BD BiH (Official Gazette of BD BiH, Nos. 24/04, 1/05, 19/07 and 09/09). 3 EU legal heritage i.e. set of rights and commitments of member states within the EU. Formally, the acquis includes: the so-called primary law (founding agreements); international agreements, international customary law and EU general legal principles; secondary law, i.e. legislation passed by EU institutions (Rules, Directives and Decisions); EU Court of Justice case-law; all other commitments of the member states within the EU activities. 4 At the horizontal sector level – rules applicable upon all other sectors – a total of 7 directives were passed; air quality sector – 8 directives and 1 decree; waste management sector – 12 directives and 1 decree; water quality sector – 18 directives; nature protection – 3 directives and 2 decrees; industrial pollution – 9 directives and 3 decrees; chemicals – 5 directives and 3 decrees; noise – 3 directives; and EU emissions trading system – 6 decisions, 4 directives and 4 decrees. 5 Official Gazette of BiH, No. 10/08. 6 The European Court of Human Rights judgment in the Sejdić and Finci against Bosnia and Herzegovina case. 40 The deadline for BiH to consolidate its regulations with the EU acquis commenced in 2008 and by 2014 the consolidation would have expanded to include all elements of the acquis, including the environment. In that regard, we should particularly
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