Victory on legal costs16 September 2010
Bringing environmental cases to court could get cheaper - thanks to a recent victory for Friends of the Earth and allies.
Access to justice
High court fees can prevent individuals and community groups from challenging environmental decisions in court.
This goes against the International Aarhus convention which was put in place to protect rights of participation, access to information and justice.
The UK is required to follow the convention. But the current system does not ensure low costs.
Change the rules
Friends of the Earth and the Coalition on Access to Justice (CAJE) explained this to the Aarhus convention compliance committee.
The committee has agreed with us and recommended that the UK court rules are changed to meet the requirement of the Aarhus Convention.
Friends of the Earth and CAJE will be following up on these decisions with the UK Government.
We'll continue to push for a fair system for bringing environmental challenges to court.
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