The European Union Forum

of Judges for the

Environment

Prof. Dr. L. Lavrysen

Justice Belgian Constitutional Court
President EUFJE
Context
 UNEP’s Global Judges Symposium on the
Role of Law and Sustainable Development
(Johannesburg, August 2002)
 Johannesburg Principles on the Role of Law
and Sustainable Development
 Judges should promote the implementation,
development and enforcement of international
and national law relating to the environment
and sustainable development
 Need for training – regional and sub-regional
cooperation
The European Union Forum of Judges
for the Environment
 European Union = Very important
environmental law maker: 70 to 90 % of
domestic environmental law is now EU driven
 27 Member States – more states applying for
membership
 500 million people
 Diversity of legal systems – civil law/ common
law/mixture
 Important role of the Court of Justice of the
European Union
 Creation of the Forum: February 2004
 Mr. Guy Canivet (than First President Cour de
Cassation – France)
 Lord Robert Carnwath (UK)
 Justice Amedeo Postiglione (Italy)
 Justice Luc Lavrysen (Belgium)
 Aim:
 Exchange of experiences in area of training of
the judiciary in environmental law
  Contribute to a better knowledge of
environmental law
 Share experiences with environmental case
law
 Contribute to a more effective enforcement of
environmental law
 Membership:
 Open for all judges within the EU (and EEA)
with a special interest in environmental law
 Judges from states that have applied for
membership can follow activities as observers
 Supported by DG Environment of the
European Commission
 Annual Conferences:
 The Hague 2004 : organisation of the national
judiciaries in relation tot environmental law –
training in the field of environmental law
 London 2005: waste legislation and case law
 Helsinki 2006: nature protection
 Luxembourg 2007: criminal enforcement of
environmental law
  Paris 2008: soil pollution
 Stockholm 2009: integrated pollution
prevention and control
 Brussels 2010: application of European
biodiversity law at national level
 Other activities:
 Involvement in working bodies of the UNECE
Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation in Decision-making and Access
to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus
Convention)
  Task Force on Access to Justice
 Training for Judges in different sub-regions
( Kiev, Tirana…)

 Developing dialog between EU national

judges in EU Environmental Law
 Training programme sponsored by EC in
collaboration with national judicial training
institutes – training seminars on nature, waste,
EIA…
 More information

 www.eufje.org