Press-release
Having exhausted all national tools of judicial protection, at the end of November 2014 International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law” (hereinafter EPL) submitted a communication on Ukraine to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee. The communication covers alleged violations by Ukraine of its international obligations within the Aarhus Convention during development and conclusion of agreements on hydrocarbons sharing regarding Yuzivska and Oleska fields in 2013. Despite direct norms of the national and international legislation, the government of Ukraine still keeps the above mentioned agreements secret and does not allow the public to get access to the agreements on development of shale gas deposits in Ukraine.
In the opinion of EPL lawyers, because of political aspect of this issue, national courts failed to restore violated by the government rights of the public to access to environmental information and participation in decision-making process in environmental matters.
EPL is aware of the fact that Ukraine now as never needs to diversify sources of energy resources. However, we insist that rights of citizens to safe for health and life environment and procedural rights in this sphere that are guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine must be respected and protected.
As of early December 2014, bodies of the Convention confirmed receipt of EPL’ communication together with all annexes. We will inform about the course of consideration of the case in the Committee on our web-site epl.org.ua.
Yelyzavets Alekseyeva
Senior lawyer
International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Compliance Committee of the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters is the body of the Convention that reviews compliance of Parties to the Convention with their international obligations and is intended to help Parties to reach appropriate compliance with these obligations.
