Plaumann criteria in the face of the climate emergency
A European constitutional approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24215/2618303Xe077Keywords:
access to climate-related justice, European Court of Justice, locus standi, Plaumann criteriaAbstract
This article tackles the limitations placed by Plaumann criteria on the access to climate-related justice before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and proposes a new interpretation based on a European constitutional approach. It analyzes how the restrictions imposed by such criteria make it difficult for individuals and NGOs to take part in the EU's judicial control on climate matters. In this context, we call for a change in ECJ case law on NGO access to EU courts in the context of climate change. Through an evolutionary approach, we argue that EU constitutional provisions offer a solid base to make these criteria more flexible. Moreover, in this article we explore the impact that climate-related judicial processes in domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights have on, as well as the relevance of the Aarhus Convention for, the reinterpretation of the Plaumann criteria in climate-related contexts.
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