Meeting
Round Table Discussion on Aarhus Convention – Tendency and Challenges
November 21, 2017
Meeting
Round Table Discussion on Aarhus Convention – Tendency and Challenges
Start date: November 21, 2017 2:00 PM
End date: November 21, 2017
Place: Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia
Address: Marijas iela 13, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia
Description
Latvia ratified the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention)
15 years ago . During this period many of EU legal principles have been integrated and introduced in the legislation of Latvia as the EU member state.
National Administrative Procedure Law, where public environmental rights were clearly defined and protected, was appreciated as a real tool to save and protect our environment and society rights, guaranted in our Constitution. However in the light of latest developments in the sector of public rights, NGOs are those who alarm about the situation de facto with the Aarhus principles and public environmental rights in general. Not only Latvia, but also other countries have faced the same dangerous sygnals about the current situation of implementing “the Aarhus principles”, which are guarding the civic society rights.
To discuss latest tendencies and also challenges of the Aarhus Convention and its legal principles, Latvian Green Movement has invited experts from Belarus, Latvia, Sweden, Ukraine, as well as Russia to share their opinions and eventually find solutions on - how to revive Environmental public rights, its authority and importance. In frame of Campaign “Save Latvian Dunes” and its public awareness part, this Round Table discussion is supported by Coalition Clean Baltic un Latvian Environmental Protection Fund.
The Roundtable was arranged on 21 November 2017 at the premises of Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia (Marijas Str. 13/3, (Berga Bazārs) Rīga, Latvia) .
The agenda of the roundtable is available here.
National Administrative Procedure Law, where public environmental rights were clearly defined and protected, was appreciated as a real tool to save and protect our environment and society rights, guaranted in our Constitution. However in the light of latest developments in the sector of public rights, NGOs are those who alarm about the situation de facto with the Aarhus principles and public environmental rights in general. Not only Latvia, but also other countries have faced the same dangerous sygnals about the current situation of implementing “the Aarhus principles”, which are guarding the civic society rights.
To discuss latest tendencies and also challenges of the Aarhus Convention and its legal principles, Latvian Green Movement has invited experts from Belarus, Latvia, Sweden, Ukraine, as well as Russia to share their opinions and eventually find solutions on - how to revive Environmental public rights, its authority and importance. In frame of Campaign “Save Latvian Dunes” and its public awareness part, this Round Table discussion is supported by Coalition Clean Baltic un Latvian Environmental Protection Fund.
The Roundtable was arranged on 21 November 2017 at the premises of Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia (Marijas Str. 13/3, (Berga Bazārs) Rīga, Latvia) .
The agenda of the roundtable is available here.