Briefing: Access to Justice in the Effort Sharing Regulation

Trilogue negotiators must support the Access to Justice provision in the Effort Sharing Regulation.

On 8 June 2022 the European Parliament voted in favor of introducing Access to Justice in the negotiation mandate on the Effort Sharing Regulation (Amendments 20 and 42).

Access to justice is the right for individuals and organizations to go to court when there is a violation of law. It makes it possible to challenge the decisions, acts or omissions of public authorities that go against existing legal commitments.

In environmental matters, access to justice is a safeguard against climate commitments, targets, and quotas becoming empty promises. With extreme temperatures across Europe and energy unreliability ahead of the winter, citizens must be able to hold their governments to account at home when legally binding climate promises are jeopardized.

Access to Justice in the Effort Sharing Regulation enables the public to go to court over failures to comply with Article 4 of the Effort Sharing Regulation. This includes the greenhouse gas emissions limits in paragraph 1 and 2.