In late March, we reported that at its forty-eighth meeting (Geneva, 24-27 March 2015), the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee considered the preliminary admissibility of communication PRE/ACCC/C/2014/118 concerning Ukraine submitted by NGO “Environment-People-Law” on 18 November 2014.
The communication alleges that in 2013 during preparation and conclusion of the product sharing agreements regarding Yuzivska and Oleska fields the government of Ukraine grossly violated the environmental rights of citizens of Ukraine, namely the right to access to the draft texts of such agreements, the right to a safe environment in connection with the failure of the government to carry out environmental impact assessment of such planned development, the right to participate in the process of adoption by the government of these strategic decisions, as well as EPL’s right to appeal these actions and inactions in court.
According to the recent official letter of the Aarhus Convention Secretariat addressed to EPL and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the Committee determined that the communication was admissible on a preliminary basis.
This means that the case will be considered on the merits. The number of the EPL’s case on the web site of the Convention has dropped its preliminary prefix PRE and became permanent (ACCC/C/2014/118 Ukraine). The case materials can be found on the official web site of the Convention
www.unece.org/environmental-policy/conventions/public-participation/aarhus-convention/tfwg/envppcc/envpppubcom/acccc2014118-ukraine.html
The Committee through the Secretariat officially forwarded the communication to the Government of Ukraine to get its response to the allegations expressed in the communication. According to the procedure, the Party concerned will have five months from the date when the communication is forwarded to provide its response.
We will inform about the course of consideration of the case in the Committee on our web-site epl.org.ua.
For further information please contact
Yelyzaveta Aleksyeyeva
Senior lawyer
International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law”
e.aleksyeyeva@epl.org.ua
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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.
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