It was signed on 25 June 1998 in Aarhus, Denmark. It is known as the "Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Judiciary on Environmental Issues," more commonly known as the Aarhus Convention. It entered into force on 30 October 2001. As of March 2014, it has 47 different parties, 46 states, and the European Union. The Convention is an international agreement that gives individuals the right to access environmental information. Public participation in decision-making processes is encouraged. It provides access to justice in environmental matters.
As a result of the Aarhus Convention, citizens are given the right to object to environmental decisions or to legally review whether their rights arising from ecological legislation have been violated. It also functions as a global database with the information center established. The Convention is the first international convention that addresses the issues of obtaining information and documents on environmental issues, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice to protect the right to life. The Convention is an essential legal document accepted at the international level.
With the relevant convention, strict rules have been determined that the countries that are party to it must comply. One of the important goals is to raise environmental awareness to present and future generations. Measures should be taken to comply with the contract rules. Environmental institutions should be recognized. It should be supported and developed by the country. Legal arrangements are essential for the necessary changes. Most importantly, people who defend their rights at the expense of protecting nature should not be left alone in front of state-protected and big companies. There are basic categories covered in the Convention.
Access to information, public participation, and access to justice are the three pillars of the contract. Access to information means all information in written, visual, audio, electronic, or any other tangible form. It covers the easy access of any individual to environmental information. Public authorities should provide individuals with all necessary information. This information must be collected and transmitted in a timely and transparent manner.
The public has the right to participate in decision-making processes. All projects that are or will be implemented should also be auditable by the public. Society has a decision-making and legislative process. Decision-makers should respect people's knowledge and expertise. This respect is an excellent opportunity to increase the quality of projects. Publications such as planning, environmental licenses, and coastal and waste licenses should be announced to individuals.
The public can resort to judicial or administrative appeal procedures because the project owners violate the principles. Public authorities need to allow meaningful participation of the public and environmental NGOs in decision-making about environmental projects and environmental plans and programs.
Author:
Çağın Ergün
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