The Green Deal for Themis: which EU environmental standards should Ukrainian judges take into account?

Ukraine’s European integration necessitates that judges develop a deeper understanding of European Union environmental law, the principles of ‘green policy’ and the approaches taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union to the interpretation and application of the relevant directives.

With a view to deepening this knowledge, the Lviv Regional Branch of the National School of Judges of Ukraine organised a webinar for judges of local general courts entitled ‘EU Environmental Policy: Implementation of “Green Policy” and its Interpretation by the Court of Justice’.

The session was led by Olga Melen-Zabramna, a lawyer and head of the legal department at the International Public Organisation ‘Ecology-Law-Human’.

During the session, the judges’ attention was focused on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the implementation of Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability. Participants examined the Court’s approaches to the application of environmental liability mechanisms and analysed their significance for ensuring effective environmental protection.

The lecturer paid particular attention to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in cases relating to the application of European Union directives concerning the establishment and operation of the Natura 2000 ecological network.

The interactive format of the webinar enabled participants to discuss topical issues concerning the application of EU environmental legislation, analyse relevant case law and obtain answers to questions arising in the context of the alignment of national legislation with EU law.

The training helped to deepen the judges’ knowledge of EU environmental policy and foster a better understanding of the approaches of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which are of particular importance in the context of Ukraine’s European integration processes