Partecipazione e consultazione delle parti interessate per la tutela dell’ambiente nell’Unione europea. L’esperienza della piattaforma Di’ la tua

di Ilaria Lolli

SOMMARIO: 1. La partecipazione ai processi decisionali come “pilastro” della governance ambientale. - 2. La partecipazione e le consultazioni per la tutela dell’ambiente nell’Unione europea: dal ‘silenzio’ dei Trattati al c.d. Regolamento Aarhus. - 3. Le consultazioni della Commissione europea nel quadro della partecipazione ai processi decisionali dell’UE. - 4. Il portale europeo Di’ la tua. I rilievi della Corte dei conti europea ed i ‘buoni propositi’ della Commissione. - 5. Una ‘cartina al tornasole’: le consultazioni sul portale Di’ la tua in materia di tutela dell’ambiente. - 6. Conclusioni: ignari o riluttanti?

Public participation in environmental decision-making is one of the three ‘pillars’ of the Aarhus Convention (1998), which, as a mixed agreement, applies to the EU institutions too. Nevertheless, the EU Treaties do not contain specific provisions with regard to participation in environmental matters, which therefore draws on the general provisions of TEU end TFEU. In turn, Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 (the so-called Aarhus Regulation) only provides for a participation in the elaboration of EU plans and programmes relating to the environment, but not in other cases, such as the preparation of policies and of legal drafts. Within the framework of the White paper on governance (2001) and the so-called ‘Better regulation’ system, the Commission strives to interpret participation in its mildest sense, that is mere consultations. In this context the Commission also relies on the digital platform Have your say, the functioning of which, however, still presents many problematic issues, not least the one relating to the low attendance of the public. A brief overview of some consultations regarding environmental-related topics seems to constitute an effective ‘litmus paper’ of the functioning of the platform, in particular for what concerns the low rate of participation.