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Home » Seminar : EU Legislation for Clean Air at Crossroads

Seminar : EU Legislation for Clean Air at Crossroads

Tuesday 21 March 2023

Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles Room P02. Registration is necessary via this form before 16 March

Air pollution remains a serious problem both globally and in the EU, detrimentally affecting public health and the environment. The EU legal framework for clean air is currently being revised as part of the European Green Deal and the zero pollution action plan. The main objective of the event is to critically reflect on the recast of the Ambient Air Quality Directives in light of the recent scientific findings, and experiences and lessons from air quality litigation and legal practice. The seminar will address these questions through a joint discussion among legal scholars and practitioners (including from the Court of Justice and European Commission), atmospheric scientists, and other experts.

Programme

9:00 – 9:15       Introduction by co-organizers Delphine Misonne, CEDRE, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles and Yulia Yamineva, CCEEL, University of Eastern Finland

Session  1         Air quality litigation: opportunities, lessons and challenges

Chair and moderator: Yulia Yamineva, University of Eastern Finland

9:15 – 09:45     Litigation on air quality in the CJEU – Have we reached the end of the line?

Christoph Sobotta, Court of Justice of the European Union, Chamber of AG Kokott

9:45 – 10:05     What are the new strategic litigation developments on ambient air quality?

Emma Bud, Client Earth 

10:05 – 10:25   Litigation matters. Remaining grey zones and new challenges on air quality

Delphine Misonne, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles/FNRS

10:25 – 10:55   Q&A and discussion

10:55 – 11:15   Coffee break

Session 2          Science – law interface

Chair and moderator: Delphine Misonne, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles

11:15 – 11:35    What should we legislate for, and what we can measure?

Alastair Lewis, University of York

11:35 – 11:55    Addressing air quality with atmospheric and aerosol science: The case for an integrated approach, Pauli Paasonen, University of Helsinki

11:55 – 12:10    Why such a frequent reference to WHO guidelines? Some exploratory thinking, Camille Bertaux, PhD candidate PDR, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles

12:10 – 12:40    Q&A and discussion

12.40 – 13.40    Lunch

Session 3          Revision of ambient air quality legislation in the EU

Chair and moderators: Yulia Yamineva & Delphine Misonne

13:45 – 14:30    Group discussion What makes a robust governance regime for ambient air quality?, with Eloise Scotford, University College London, Delphine Misonne, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles and Alastair Lewis, University of York

14:30 – 15:00   The proposal of the European Commission for a recast of the Ambient Air Quality Directives, Magnus Noll-Ehlers, European Commission

15:00 – 16:30    Q&A and discussion

Venue and registration

Tuesday 21 March 2023

At Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles, Bd du Jardin Botanique, 43

1000 Bruxelles (easy access via metro Botanique or Rogier or train station Gare du Nord)

Conference room P02 ( groundfloor via entrance 119 rue du Marais)

Registration is necessary via this form before March 16

Please note this is an on-site conference.

The event is co-organized by

– CCEEL, the Center for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law (Finland) and

– CEDRE, centre d’étude du droit de l’environnement et du patrimoine ( Belgium),

within the PDR-Project WHO-ENVI-LAW – funded by the FNRS