[Ir-l] Re: [Apc-euroir-ws] Arhus Convention enters into force... err, but not in UK

[Pavel Antonov]

Dear, Paul, all,
Yes indeed, The Aarhus convention is a very important tool for the civil
society. Unfortunately there is a number of Eastern European countries which
ratified it without having the capacity (and the intention) to ever implement
it. In Bulgaria the previous government have been very reluctant to implement it
for a number of reasons. Instead, they tried a new draft law for nature
protection, where access to information was present, but the NGOs were unhappy
with the draft and the new government scrapped it.
For your information, BlueLink in Bulgaria runs a project since August 2000 to
assist the dialogue between civil society organizations and governments, the
court and businesses over the concept of access to information and public
participation in environmental decision making. You can see the developments at
www.bluelink.net/aarhus . We are finalizing the project with a final publication
on these issues containing analyses and case studies of NGO efforts for access
to information. This will soon be on line too.
If anyone is interested, you can contact Dora Valkova, BlueLink's co-ordinator,
dora at bluelink.net, who is in charge of this project now. This was previously
Christina's project, so she also knows about its initial phase, goals and
development.
Best regards,
Pavel P


Paul Mobbs wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> Not directly IR'ish, but has some relevance to the use of the Internet for
> consultation and lobbying/campaigning. Would also have relevance for
> negotiations over making environmental information available via the 'Net.
>
> Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary,
> Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan,
> the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine may
> benefit, but not the UK. Word is it's a bit too radical for Blair to talk to
> community groups!
>
> P.
>
> ====
>
> Press Release ECE/ENV/01/15 Geneva, 29 October 2001
>
> ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS NOT A LUXURY
>
> Aarhus Convention enters into force
>
> A new international law, described by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
> Annan as 'the most ambitious venture in environmental democracy undertaken
> under the auspices of the United Nations', will enter into force tomorrow,
> 30 October 2001.
>
> The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
> Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters - known as
> the Aarhus Convention after the Danish city where it was adopted in June
> 1998 - seeks to strengthen the role of members of the public and
> environmental organizations in protecting and improving the environment for
> the benefit of future generations. Through its recognition of citizens'
> environmental rights to information, participation and justice, it aims to
> promote greater accountability and transparency in environmental matters.
>
> While the Convention is an instrument to protect the environment, it may
> also be seen as an instrument promoting democracy. Specifically, it aims to:
>
> * Allow members of the public greater access to environmental information
> held by public authorities, thereby increasing the transparency and
> accountability of government;
> * Provide an opportunity for people to express their opinions and concerns
> on environmental matters and ensure that decision makers take due account of
> these;
> * Provide the public with access to review procedures when their rights to
> information and participation have been breached, and in some cases to
> challenge more general violations of environmental law.
>
> In practical terms, this means, for instance, that local residents must be
> given a say in new road schemes or in the siting of household-waste
> incinerators. Members of the public also have a right to know what state
> their environment is in and, in some circumstances, to sue governments or
> polluters that attempt to cover up environmental disasters.
>
> To date, the Convention has been ratified by seventeen countries: Albania,
> Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy,
> Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, the
> former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. Welcoming
> the high level of support shown for the Convention by the eastern European
> and Central Asian countries, the Director of the UNECE Environment Division,
> Kaj Bdrlund, expressed the conviction that several western countries would
> ratify the Convention before the first meeting of the Parties, provisionally
> scheduled for autumn 2002: "Despite the fact that western countries have
> generally been slower to ratify the Convention than their eastern
> counterparts, it is clear from their warm messages of support that they are
> working hard on their national legislation to be able to ratify the
> Convention. The delay is, however, an indication that the Convention is
> sufficiently progressive to prompt important improvements even in some of
> the most well-established western democracies. The eastern countries may
> have a different legal tradition, but the early ratification by many of
> these countries is a sign of change. It shows that they have opened the door
> to a new culture of democracy and transparency."
>
> Just as pollution ignores national boundaries, so, to a large extent, does
> the Aarhus Convention. The rights conferred on the public are to be applied
> without discrimination as to citizenship, nationality or domicile. And
> although the Convention is regional in scope, it is in fact open to
> accession by countries from throughout the world.
>
> The entry into force will be marked by a launching ceremony at UNECE
> headquarters in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, hosted by ECE Executive
> Secretary Danuta H|bner. The Environment Ministers from Croatia and Ukraine
> will be present and many other Ministers have sent supportive messages, as
> have some NGOs. A selection of extracts from these is included in the annex
> 'What People are Saying about the Aarhus Convention'.
>
> For more information, please contact:
>
> Jeremy WATES
> Secretary to the Aarhus Convention
> UNECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
> Palais des Nations, office 332
> CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
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