No.7, 35-44 (2006) A Survey of Legislation Regarding Environmental Information in Europe and Japan IWATA Motokazu Nihon University, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies As Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development stresses, environmental issues are best handled with the participation of citizens and each individual shall have appropriate access to information on the environment held by public authorities. In Europe, recalling the Principle, the Århus (Aarhus) Convention was adopted in 1998. It provides for the right of everyone to receive environmental information held by public authorities, the right to participate in environmental decision-making, and the right to review procedures to challenge public decisions that have been made without respecting the two aforementioned rights. In Japan, there is no legislation that corresponds directly to the Convention. This paper is intended to know the legal institution in Europe concerning environmental information and public participation based on the Århus Convention and EU Directives that is consistent with the Convention. Japanese institution concerning environmental information is also reviewed briefly. 2006 4 7 (1) 15 1 6 1994 12 2000 17 2005 2 18 2006 3 30 EU
10 UNECE: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) 1998 6 25 (Århus (Aarhus) Convention) UNECE 55 2006 4 ECOSOC UN Economic and Social Council 1947 3 UNECE. 1998 (2) 20 16. 90 2001 10 30 1992 6 2001 8 1 United Nations Conference on Environment 2006 4 39 and Development Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 10 (3) 36
UNECE (Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution) (Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context) 1979 11 13 (1983 3 16 ) 1991 2 25 (1997 9 10 ) 1992 3 17 (1996 10 6 ) 1997 3 17 (2000 4 19 ) 1998 6 25 (2001 10 30 ) (Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes) (Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents) (Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) 4 1 environmental information 5 1 5 3 2 3 (a) 6 1 (4) (b) (a) 7 4 (c) (b) 9 4 4. 4 1 2 37
2 1 4 3 4 5 3 4 5 3 4 5 5 4 8 5 4 5 6 5 5 5 1 2 (5) 5 9 36
1. 50MW. 6 2. 6 3. 500 6 1 4. I Annex I 5. 6 3 6. 15 I 7. 8. 9. 1350 10. 1000 m 3 11. 1 m 3 12. 500 50 m 3 13. 1000 m 3 14. 800mm 40km 6 2 15. 4 30kg 2 (6) 16. 25ha 150ha 17. 220kV 15km 18. 20 19. 10 6 3 10 20. 1 19 6 2 37
8 8 8 6 1 6 2 9 6 11 (7) EU genetically modified organisms. EU EU Council of the European Union 2005 2 17 EC: European Community (8) 7 39 party ratification acceptance 7 approval accession EU EC (9) EU EU 6 3 4 Directive of the 38
European Parliament and of the Council 2003 2003 1998 EU EU (10) 90/313/EEC 2003/4/EC 2003/4/EC 90/313/EEC EU (11) 2003/4/EC 2003/35/EC. 1990 1 European Communities 1998 1990 (12) 90/313/EEC 90/313/EEC 2 2003/4/EC environmental 1 information 2003/4/EC 2 1 10 90/313/EEC (a) (13) 90/313/EEC (b) (a) information relating to the environment (c) (a) (b) 90/313/EEC 2 (d) (e) (c) (f) (a) (b) (c) 39
90/313/EEC 1. 2003/4/EC 13 1985 3 90/313/EEC 3 4 European Communities 5 6 1985 7 8 (14) 9 10 85/337/EEC 11 12 13 6 2 2003/4/EC 3 4 4 1996 4 5 (15)(16) 96/61/EC 3 1 15 1 2003 2003/35/EC 4 85/337/EEC 96/61/EC 2003/35/EC 8 2003/4/EC 7 5 1 2 7 85/337/EEC 3 96/61/EC 4 5 6 7 8 1 2003/35/EC 2 2 40
2004 2004 Environmental Information Regulations 2004 2004 12 21 2005 1 1 2003/4/EC 2003/35/EC 2000 Freedom of (a) 75/442/EEC 7 Information Act 2000 1 2000 11 30 2005 (b) 1 1 2004 91/157/EEC 6 (c) 2004 1992 91/676/EEC 5 1 1998 1992 (d) 91/689/EEC 90/313/EEC 1990 6 1 (e) 94/62/EC 14 (f) (18) 96/62/EC 8 3 85/337/EEC 2004 6 2004 2003/35/EC part 85/337/EEC environmental information EU EC 2003/4/EC 2 1 (17). EU EC 2005 2 17 2005 2 24 4 1 90 5 1 41
20 5 2 7 6 1. 9 1. (19) The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 27 2000 2004 3 register of registers of 34 1 2 35 2 environmental information PCB 42
(20) 1997 4 11 1999 4 17 2005 8 6 1996 12 18 2006 2 11 1999 10 20 5 74 (21) EU. 9 43
(12) Council Directive 90/313/EEC of 7 June 1990 on the freedom of access to information on the environment (1) (13) Commission of the European Communities Proposal 2006 4 7 for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the (2) UNECE Council on public access to environmental information, http://www.unece.org/env/2006 4 June, 2000, p.2. (3) public authority (14) Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private 2 2 projects on the environment (4) public (15) Council Directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 public concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (16) 96/61/EC 2 4 EU the Council of the European Union (5) 5 9 1985 1990 85/337/EEC 90/313/EEC PRTR Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers 2003 5 21 (6) the public concerned EC the Council of the European Communities 2003/4/EC 2003/35/EC EU the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (17) DEFRA 2 5 http://www.defra.gov.uk/2006 5 (7) European Commission (18) 2000 http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ No. 216 2006 5 (8) Council Decision of 17 February 2005 on the conclusion, 2003 5 5 (19) Rural Affairs on behalf of the European Community, of the Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters (9) EC European Community (20) (10) Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to No. 135 2004 11 60-62 environmental information and repealing Council (21) Directive 90/313/EEC http://www.env.go.jp/info/iken.html2006 5 (11) Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans (Received: May 31, 2006) (Issued in internet Edition: July 1, 2006) and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directive 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC 44