EU Environment Rules Could See More Challenges With New Proposal

Environmental groups would have more opportunity to go to the European Union’s top courts to challenge decisions taken by the bloc’s institutions and agencies in areas such as chemicals, genetically modified crops, and pollutant limits, under a newly proposed law.

The proposed law issued Wednesday by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, would amend rules on access to justice in environmental matters by allowing advocacy groups to go directly to the EU courts over decisions with general scope.

Direct challenges with general scope aren’t currently permitted, meaning an interest group can’t challenge a decision to authorize a pesticide that ...