Seminar in Brussels on 23 November 2012

A seminar on citizens' access to justice and the organisation of jurisdictions in environmental litigation, focusing on national specificities and influences of European Union law, took place in the European Commission's Charlemagne building on 23 November 2012. The seminar was attended by 25 member courts.

The seminar opened with a speech by Mr Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, and was chaired by Mr Sauvé, President of ACA-Europe, who gave the introduction.

The Council of State of France provided the scientific support for the seminar and also compiled a questionnaire together with the European Commission's DG Environment. Some 29 national reports, which are available on ACA-Europe's website, were submitted in response to the questionnaire. The national reports were studied by the Council of State of France, which used them as a basis for compiling a general report. This report was the fulcrum of the seminar and generated two topics for discussion.

The topic of access to justice in environmental litigation was introduced by Mr Timmermans, honorary judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union, and presented by Mr Fuchs. Mr Kremlis, acting Director of DG Environment, and Ms Philipp, judge at the Federal Administrative Court of Germany, also contributed.

The second topic, judges and the specificities of environmental litigation, was introduced by Mr White, an adviser from the European Commission's Legal Service, and was presented by Ms Roussel. Mr Kuusiniemi, judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland, and Lord Robert Carnwath, judge at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, also spoke on this topic.

Mr Bonichot, judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union, presented the general conclusions of the seminar.