The Implementation of the Aarhus Convention’s Third Pillar in the European Union – a Rocky Road Towards Compliance

Abstract

Summary This article provides a detailed analysis of the European Union’s road towards compliance with the third pillar of the Aarhus Convention and the current developments in this regard. The European Union’s Notice on Access to Justice in Environmental Matters that was accepted in 2017 is also evaluated. No doubt, that environmental concerns became extremely important in the 21st Century, in front of the judicial bodies as well. It is interesting to see how the EU has been struggling to reach compliance with the right to access environmental justice, causing not just heated conversation between the greening NGO sphere and the EU, but also raising significant concerns regarding the effectiveness of the decision-making system.