Parliament Adopts Comprehensive Environmental Package

On 25 October 2018 Parliament adopted a new comprehensive environmental package comprising:

• the Aarhus Participation Act;¹
• an amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act;² and
• an amendment to the Federal Environmental Liability Act.³

Several other environment-related legislative initiatives are also underway at present (see, for example, "Will new state targets lead to reduced environmental protection?").

Although the amendments have yet to be published in the Federal Law Gazette, the new environmental package is expected to come into force by the end of 2018.

What is planned?

Aarhus Participation Act

The Aarhus Participation Act continues the implementation of the Aarhus Convention,⁴ based on the European Court of Justice's decision in Protect.⁵ The act aims to give the public concerned a say in approval procedures and subsequent review rights.