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MEPIELAN E-Bulletin is a digital academic and practitioner newsletter of the MEPIELAN Centre, launched in 2010.  It features insight articles, reflective opinions, specially selected documents and cases, book reviews as well as news on thematic topics of direct interest of MEPIELAN Centre and on the activities and role of MEPIELAN Centre. Its content bridges theory and practice perspectives of relational international law, international environmental law and participatory governance , and international negotiating process, thus serving the primary goal of Centre: to develop an integrated, inter-disciplinary, relational, context-related and sustainably effective governance approach creating, protecting and advancing international common interest for the present and future generations. Providing a knowledge- and information-sharing platform and a scholarly forum, the Bulletin promotes innovative ideas and enlightened critical views, contributing to a broader scholarly debate on important issues of international common interest. The audience of the Bulletin includes academics, practitioners, researchers, university students, international lawyers, officials and personnel of international organizations and institutional arrangements, heads and personnel of national authorities at all levels (national, regional and local), and members of the civil society at large.

Public Participation in Environmental Governance

UNECE Annual Report 2011: The 2010 Application of the AARHUS Convention Regime

April 8, 2011

In its Annual Report 2011, UNECE, as a Secretariat administering the regime of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (The “Aarhus Convention”), 1998, provides an account of the application of this regime in 2010. Referring to the Aarhus Convention, the Report stresses the continuing focusing of the Convention on “exchange of information, sharing of experience and good practices and capacity-building in the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Convention through the activities of the Convention’s task forces and the Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy”. It also refers to the decision of the extraordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties (Geneva, April and June 2010), to strengthen the work on public participation in decision-making and to entrust a newly established Task Force with this
work (the Task on Public Participation in Decision-making ). Importantly, this Meeting also prepared the ground for another far-reaching development: the adoption in 2011 of a procedure to allow accession to the Convention by non-UNECE member States.

With respect to the Convention’s Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs), 2003, which entered into force   on 8 0ctober 2009,* the Report highlights the event of the first session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol where its governing architecture, its Work Programme for 2011–2014 and other key decisions were adopted. As the Report the PRTR.net web portal (http://www.prtr.net/) is continuing to play an important role in assisting Governments and stakeholders in the development, implementation and improvement of pollutant release and transfer registers in the UNECE region and beyond.

NOTE

* The Protocol is the first international legal instrument of this kind and its objective is “to enhance public access to information through the establishment of coherent, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs).” This Protocol is expected to play a significant role in information on pollution as no company will want to be identifies as among the biggest polluters. The Protocol currently has 38 signatories and 27 parties, including the EU.

Primary  Source: UNECE- REPORT 2011 (ECE/INF/2011/1) available at:
http://www.unece.org/publications/Annual%20Reports/topics/annual_report_2011_EN_web.pdf
For further information:
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/prtr.htm

http://www.prtr.net/

About the author

MEPIELAN Centre
Author's Website

MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.

Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.

MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).

On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable

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