The regular 7th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) will open today, on 18 October 2021, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 4th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR Protocol).
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Aarhus Convention. These activities will provide a platform for Parties, signatories, international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to discuss progress and challenges in advancing environmental democracy, digital transformation and sustainable development. The sessions are expected to take a number of important decisions that will determine the activities under the Convention and the Protocol in the next intersessional period.
As in previous sessions, the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention will decide whether the Parties will comply with the provisions of the Convention following the consideration of the relevant cases by the Compliance Committee.
It is unfortunate, but Ukraine is expected to reappear among violators of the Convention this year. Importantly, that in connection with the adoption in 2017 of the Law of Ukraine “On Environmental Impact Assessment” at the previous 6th session, the Convention closed a long-running case submitted to the Compliance Committee by “Environment-People-Law” (EPL) at the beginning of the 2000s regarding violations of the right to access to information and the right to participate in the decision-making process regarding the construction of the Danube-Black Sea canal through the Danube Biosphere Reserve.
In the summer of this year, the Compliance Committee approved its conclusions and recommendations in another case concerning Ukraine, initiated by notification ACCC/C/2014/118 filed by EPL in 2014. The case concerns access to information, public participation and access to justice in the context of product sharing agreements for Yuzivska and Oleska fields and may have a significant impact on the formation of the legal framework in the area of subsoil use and environmental rights. Additional information on the case can be found at the website of the Convention.
Representatives of EPL – executive director Olena Kravchenko and Head of Information and Analytical Department Yelyzaveta Aleksyeyeva will take part in the events in Geneva. Follow the news on the decisions taken by the Meetings of the Parties, including on Ukraine, on our website and in social networks.