Research on Influence of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on the activities of the Parliamentary Ombudsman and Environmental Ombudsman in the Environmental Field

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H07177
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: New fields of law
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Shindo Mahito 早稲田大学, 社会科学総合学術院, 助教 (30802061)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-08-25 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 議会オンブズマン / オーフス条約 / オーフス条約遵守委員会 / アカウンタビリティ / 環境法学 / 公法学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) may influence the activities of Parliamentary Ombudsman and Environmental Ombudsman (O/EO) through its investigation on the compliance of these activities with the Aarhus Convention. Whether the ACCC conducts such an investigation depends on the roles of the O/EO played in individual jurisdictions. The result of the field research suggests that regardless the distinction between the O and EO, the ACCC investigated the O/EO with extraordinary competences, which a typical ombudsman does not have. In Austria, the ACCC questioned the EO’s competence of access to courts in relation to the access to judicial court by environmental NGOs. This conclusion indirectly affected the revision of the roles of the EOs through a judgment of the European Union Court of Justice. In Ireland, the ACCC is examining the capacity of the environmental information commissioner whose officeholder is also the O.

Free Research Field

環境法　公法 国際環境法 比較法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

地域的枠組の機関であるオーフス条約遵守委員会が、重なり合う役割を国内法体系で担っている議会オンブズマンおよび環境オンブズマンの活動に与える影響を明らかにすることは、学術的には、これまで研究されてこなかった審査機関に焦点を当てて地域的枠組と国内法体系の関係性を明らかにするという意義がある。また近年、国連環境計画を中心として、環境行政意思決定の質を向上させるための法的枠組の整備が地域的枠組を重視しつつ世界的に推し進められていることから、欧州以外の地域における同様の地域的枠組の新たな導入に際して、制度設計の検討に資する情報を提供するという社会的意義がある。