UNECE Aarhus Clearinghouse

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The latest news from the Aarhus Convention Clearinghouse
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Ireland: Transparency switch still off

7. Rujan 2015 - 7:00
In a recent ruling the Supreme Court confirmed in the case of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) vs Commissioner for Environmental Information that NAMA was a public authority for the purposes of the Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations 2007/2011, which transpose the European Directive and base the definition of environmental information on the Aarhus Convention. Opinion piece by Gavin Sheridan on the ruling.

Spain: Environmental NGOs denounce the government to the EU for not including them in legal aid

3. Rujan 2015 - 7:00
Spanish NGOs have announced that they will denounce Spain to EU as access to justice in environmental matters is duty bound since the ratification of the Aarhus Convention by Spain and the European Union which is violated by the Law on Fees and reform of the Law of contentious jurisdiction administrative.

EU: Effectiveness of pollutant release register under study

3. Rujan 2015 - 7:00
A public consultation on the evaluation of Regulation 166/2006/EC which established a European pollutant release and transfer register (E-PRTR regulation) is underway in the EU. The resulting assessment is then included in the European PRTR, an internet site easily accessible to the public, in line with the Protocol to the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.

Austria: Sharp criticism of Waste Management Act

2. Rujan 2015 - 7:00
Criticism from the organization Green Environment towards the amendment of the Waste Management Act

Serbia: Energy Model - Serbia 2050

1. Rujan 2015 - 7:00
Serbia will prepare a National Plan to reduce emissions (National Emission Reduction Plan - Nerpa), which should be submitted to the Energy Community by the end of this year, and hopefully be included in the National Energy Strategy and pass the procedure of public participation provided by the Aarhus Convention.

Belarus: How to equip Belarus

1. Rujan 2015 - 7:00
The principle of participation of civil society in decision-making, promoted by the Aarhus Convention, can be a model to several fields of public interest to enhance the quality of decision-making and efficient use of resources.

Kazakhstan: UN Special Rapporteurs’ recommendations form basis for National Human Rights dialogue

22. Kolovoz 2015 - 7:00
During the regular meeting of the Dialogue Platform on Human Dimension,Vadim Ni, chairman of the Kazakh eco-forum of public organisations, spoke regarding the difficulty concerning public access to environmental information. He highlighted the issue for individuals to secure information and advised solving the problem by discussing future industrial projects with the population in advance, in accordance with the Aarhus Convention and with article 163 of the environmental code of Kazakhstan.

Armenia: OSCE Office supports training courses on environmental rights in Arenia's Aarhus Centres

20. Kolovoz 2015 - 7:00
The OSCE Office in Yerevan, in partnership with the Centre on Economic and Legal Analyses NGO, launched the first in a series of training courses in regional Aarhus Centres today to enhance the capacities of civil society organizations and local authorities on the third pillar of the Aarhus Convention.

Armenia: The OSCE supports civil society to develop the environmental strategy in dialogue with the Government

3. Kolovoz 2015 - 7:00
The main aim of the program - implemented in support of OSCE - is to strengthen civil society in Armenia, as an essential partner of RA government and to implement a convention (Aarhus Convention) about "Access to information concerning environmental issues, public participation in decision-making and access to justice" within the framework of European Economic Commission of the United Nations. (...)

Italy: Mayor Servallo launches his plan for a new Ausino

31. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
First step to start the process of transformation of the Ausino Spa in a special agency consortium of public law. The company will operate, exclusively, in the production, distribution and management of integrated water services in the territory of local associates. The application of the Aarhus Convention will ensure effective participation of the population residing in the territory of local associates to quality choices regarding production, delivery and management integrated water services.

EU: Court rules EU must declare breaches of environmental law

17. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
The Court of Justice of the EU banned the European Commission from keeping information regarding hazardous waste and water quality confidential.

Ireland: Consultation on wind farm below EU standards

10. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
An Bord Pleanála hears communication with locals on development and has been told that the consultation with a Co Meath community in relation to a wind farm development has been hopelessly inadequate and does not meet standards set down in European legislation. (...) Counsel for the applicant rejected the claims and said it was clear that considerable analysis had been provided in the environmental impact assessment in relation to the likely impacts of the development.

Austria: National Environmental Information Amendment brings more transparency

9. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
Environmental information should be more accessible - in this regard the National Councilde passed an amendment to the Environmental Information Act yesterday. Based on requirements of the European Union it regulates not only the handling of hazardous substances such as certain chemicals in industrial plants, but also the transparent presentation of potential dangers and safety measures by the plant operator.

Malta: Government riding roughshod over civil society - Front Harsien ODZ

7. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
Front Harsien ODZ today condemned the absolutist way through which the government is pushing through three new laws regulating planning and environmental protection without adequate consultation as required by the Aarhus convention of which Malta is a signatory.

Malta: Government should give public opportunity to speak on separation of Mepa according to Malta NGO

6. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
Din l-Art Helwa (NGO) has asked the government to ensure that the public is given adequate opportunity to voice their views and concerns on three Bills to regulate the forthcoming separation of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, published yesterday.

Switzerland: The dirtiest places in Switzerland

5. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
The Swiss Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (short: SwissPRTR) has a noble goal: It wants to create transparency about pollutant emitters and promote "eco-efficiency" in the factories. Since 2007, they are committed to emissions of 86 problematic substances to report. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) provides this data into the grid. The Office is attached to this active information on environmental data and in accordance with the Aarhus Convention obliges which Switzerland has ratified in 2014.

Ireland: EPA turns down oral hearing request on Corrib gas project licence

3. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland has turned down requests for an oral hearing into a revised licence sought by Shell E&P Ireland for the Corrib gas project in north Mayo.

France: Plus de 21 millions de données sur la flore du réseau des CBN intègrent l’INPN

2. Srpanj 2015 - 7:00
Après la transmission, en 2013, des données du Livre rouge de la flore menacée de France et des données relatives aux plantes messicoles, la Fédération des Conservatoires Botaniques Nationaux (FCBN) vient de transmettre au Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN) un nouveau lot de plus de 21 millions de données, issu du réseau des CBN. Cette organisation, fondée sur la définition des rôles de chacun des partenaires et la mutualisation de compétences, est déployée en respectant les principes issus de la convention d’Aarhus, de la directive européenne INSPIRE et du Système d’Information sur la Nature et les Paysages (SINP).

Chine: Dimitri de Boer s'associe à la protection environnementale en Chine, interview

26. Lipanj 2015 - 7:00
Début 2014, le premier ministre chinois Li Keqiang a résolument déclaré la « guerre à la pollution ». Dès avril de la même année, la Loi sur la protection environnementale, adoptée en 1989, a été amendée. Il s'agit d'un geste témoignant de la volonté ferme des autorités et de la population chinoises de lutter plus fermement contre la pollution.

UK Environment Secretary unveils vision for open data to transform food and farming

25. Lipanj 2015 - 7:00
Defra's data reserves will be released to create opportunities for people in the UK making their living from food, farming and the environment. The Environment Secretary will say that over the next year, virtually all the data Defra holds—at least 8,000 sets—will be made freely available to the public, putting Britain at the forefront of the data revolution. New data releases will include: - Imagery from the Copernicus satellite system that can pinpoint which places have the best soil and microclimates to grow grapes for sparkling wine, detect live if a ship is acting suspiciously in a marine conservation zone, or assess the health of crops and chart their performance under different conditions from space. - Real-time air quality and river level readings, beach cleanliness measurements and the records of the National Biodiversity Network which charts plant, animal, bird, insect and invertebrate numbers across Britain and has just logged its hundred-millionth record.

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