france has drawn the attention of the European Court of Justice for failing to fully enact the European rules for environmental impact assessments ( eia ) in wildlife habitat areas.
According to the assessments made by the court, the guidelines France did use were not sufficiently clear and precise. Moreover, the French government had adopted no provisions to mitigate damages in a conservation site where there was no alternative solution to some form of development.
While France does have legislation that require eia s for large development projects and town planning, assessments are waived in the case of certain projects because of their low cost or purpose. The court said: "Such exemptions cannot be justified... by the expression 'not likely to have a significant effect on the site' a state cannot enact national legislation which allows the eia obligation for development plans to be waived because of the low costs or the particular type of work planned."
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.