Il caso Mellifera dinanzi alla Corte di giustizia e l’accesso alla giustizia ambientale nell’Unione europea: prime considerazioni in una prospettiva internazionalistica

The Judgment of the Court of Justice in the Mellifra case confirms that NGOs do not have standing under the so-called “Aarhus Regulation” to request the review of administrative acts of general nature in the field of environmental law. Article 9(3) of the Aarhus Convention can neither invalidate inconsistent secondary legislation, as it lacks direct effect nor it requires a consistent interpretation of the Aarhus Regulation to stretch the meaning of its terms. One noticeable feature of the judgment is that it ignores altogether the findings of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee. Coupled with the EU position at the sixth Meeting of the Parties, its reluctance to be subject to external assessment of its compliance with international environmental obligations. However, the recent initiatives of the Commission in the field of accesso to environmental justice in the framework of the European Green Deal seem to have softened the conflict with the bodies of the Aarhus Convention.