The European Union Aarhus Centre The Aarhus Convention: Implementation and compliance in EU law Anaïs Berthier & Prof. Ludwig Krämer Furthering transparency, public participation and access to justice in the EU. Contents Introduction 7 Access to environmental information at EU institutional and national levels 9 Access to information under the Aarhus Convention....................................................................................................................... 10 1. Application of the access to information provisions of the Convention to EU institutions, agencies and bodies ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Persons entitled to request access to information ...........................................................................................................................14 The type of information ..............................................................................................................................................................................14 Exceptions to the right of access .............................................................................................................................................................17 Absolute exceptions versus relative ones .............................................................................................................................................18 Protection of military matters ..................................................................................................................................................................18 Protection of the financial, monetary and economic policy of the Community or a Member State ........................19 Protection of personal data .......................................................................................................................................................................19 Protection of commercial interests ........................................................................................................................................................20 Protection of legal advice and court proceedings ...........................................................................................................................23 Protection of investigations, inspections and audits ......................................................................................................................23 The protection of the internal decision-making process of EU institutions ..........................................................................29 Protection of information from third parties .....................................................................................................................................30 The specific case of legislative documents ..........................................................................................................................................31 Active dissemination of environmental information .....................................................................................................................33 Active dissemination at EU institutional level ...................................................................................................................................35 2. The application of the access to information provisions of the Convention to public authorities in Member States ...................................................................................................................................................................... 41 The person entitled to request access to information ....................................................................................................................41 The information .............................................................................................................................................................................................41 The public authority holding the information ..................................................................................................................................41 Authorities acting in a legislative or judicial capacity ...................................................................................................................43 Exceptions to the right of access .............................................................................................................................................................44 Active dissemination of the information .............................................................................................................................................45 Participation in environmental decision-making 47 1. The Aarhus Convention .................................................................................................................................................................................. 48 2. Persons entitled to participate ................................................................................................................................................................... 48 3. Participation and consultation ................................................................................................................................................................... 49 4. Projects authorised by EU institutions ................................................................................................................................................... 51 Activities listed in Annex I to the Aarhus Convention .......................................................................................................................... 51 Other activities mentioned in Article 6 of the Convention ...................................................................................................... 52 5. Participation in decisions on genetically modified organisms ............................................................................................... 52 6. Participation in decisions on EU plans and programmes .......................................................................................................... 56 Definition of “plan or programme relating to the environment” ..............................................................................................56 Plans and programmes that are “required” ........................................................................................................................................57 Limitation to “achieve EU environmental policy objectives” .......................................................................................................58 Financial plans and programmes ..........................................................................................................................................................58 Emergency plans or programmes ..........................................................................................................................................................59 A “transparent and fair framework” ......................................................................................................................................................59 7. EU legislation on national plans, programmes and projects ................................................................................................... 60 Directive 2001/42 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment .......60 Directive 2003/35 on public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes ........63 Directive 2011/92 on the environmental impact assessment of certain projects ..............................................................65 Directive 2010/75 on industrial emissions ..........................................................................................................................................67 Access to courts in environmental matters 69 1. Provisions of the Aarhus Convention ..................................................................................................................................................... 70 2. Access to EU courts ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 70 Refused access to environmental information .................................................................................................................................70 Refused participation in decision-making ..........................................................................................................................................71 Cases of environmental harm (Article 9(3) of the Convention) .................................................................................................71 3. Access to national courts ............................................................................................................................................................................... 78 Access in cases of environmental information .................................................................................................................................78 Access in cases of participation in projects .........................................................................................................................................78