Within the project, Dr. Stefania Attolini co-coordinates together with Prof. Saverio Di Benedetto the Working Group 3 “Environmental Democracy” . The working group focuses on environmental governance, citizens’ participation, ecological transition, and the role of democratic processes in addressing environmental and climate challenges at European and global level.
WG4 – Environmental Democracy
The group focuses on investigating the means and methods by which public participation is critical to
ensure that decisions on land and natural resources adequately and equitably address citizens’
interests. At its core, environmental democracy involves three mutually reinforcing rights. The group will
study, in particular, the right to freely access information on environmental quality and problems, the
right to participate meaningfully in decision-making, and the right to seek enforcement of environmental
laws and compensation for harm. According to Regulation 2021/1119 “European Climate Law”, “As
citizens and communities have a powerful role to play in driving the transformation towards climate
neutrality forward, strong public and social engagement on climate action should be both encouraged
and facilitated at all levels, including at national, regional and local level in an inclusive and accessible
process”. This statement echoes the Aarhus Convention, whose application still appears rather limited,
and shows how “environmental democracy” is a much-needed component of the democratic mosaic.
The theoretical foundation of this WG will be twofold. First, it will analyse how environmental issues
require multilevel governance and examine how the subsidiarity principle can ensure an effective
vertical and horizontal sharing of competencies and tasks. Second, It will foster citizens’ awareness at
all levels, encourage them to participate effectively and educate them on deliberative democracy.