The Aarhus Convention is an important cornerstone of environmental policy and law

The Aarhus Convention regulates access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters. The convention is one of the conventions of the UN.

The Aarhus Convention is an important cornerstone of environmental policy and law. It gives people the opportunity to have a say in and be aware of environmental issues. The state has an obligation to ensure that environmental information is publicly available and people have the opportunity to have a say in environmental decisions.

A state party to the convention must ensure that people have the opportunity to participate in making important environmental decisions. For example, the Environmental Board informs the public and the relevant land owners about the plans for the establishment of a new protected area and the opportunity to submit proposals and opinions in this regard.

The state must also guarantee that, if necessary, people have access to justice in environmental matters, i.e. people must have the opportunity to go to court to protect the environment, even against the state itself. The first Estonian case in which a major development plan was challenged for environmental conservation reasons was the complaint of the Estonian Ornithological Society regarding the construction of a deep harbour in Saare County.

Estonia signed the convention in 1998 in Aarhus, Denmark. In the same year, the convention also entered into force. Estonia ratified the agreement in 2001. By 2020, the convention had 47 members [1].

States report on the implementation of the convention. In Estonia, the Ministry of the Environment is responsible for this. The last report was submitted to the convention secretariat in 2016 [2].

Last modified: 11.01.2022

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[1] https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=XXVII-13&chapter=27

[2] https://www.unece.org/env/pp/reports_trc_implementation_2017.html