Commission proposes improvements to public access to environmental information
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive on public access to environmental information. 'The proposal is intended to contribute to an increased public awareness of environmental matters and to more effective and meaningful participation by citizens and NGOs in environmental decision making,' says the Commission. The new Directive is based on experiences from and designed to replace the 1990 Directive on the freedom of access to information on the environment. The Commission identifies the following as the proposal's main aims: - to improve and correct any shortcomings in the practical application of the 1990 Directive; - to adapt the 1990 Directive to the continuing 'electronic revolution' so as to make a 'second generation' Directive which will reflect the changes in the way information is created, collected, stored and made available to the public; - to pave the way for Community ratification of the UN/ECE Convention on access to Justice (the so-called Aarhus convention) by aligning the provisions of the proposal to requirements of the Convention regarding access to environmental information. Upon adoption of the proposal, Margot Wallström, European Commissioner for Environment: said: 'Improved access to environmental information is a pre-condition for a higher degree of involvement of citizens and stakeholders in environmental decision-making. We need this to achieve better informed and accountable decisions --and support for decisions taken on the road to sustainable development.'