Compliance Committee
Background
Article 15 of the Aarhus Convention on review of compliance, requires the Meeting of the Parties
to establish arrangements for reviewing compliance with the Convention. Following this obligation,
the Meeting of the Signatories established a Working Group to prepare such a mechanism. At their first meeting in October 2002 the Parties adopted the decision I/7 on review of compliance (E F
R) and elected the first Compliance Committee.
At their second meeting in May 2005 the Parties reviewed the work undertaken by the Committee in the first
three years of its operation, including the Committee's report and draft recommendations within the framework
of decisions on compliance issues (ECE/MP.PP/2005/13 and add. 1 to 5).The Parties adopted
decision II/5 on general issues of compliance (E F R) as well as decisions II/5a (E
F R) on compliance by Kazakhstan, II/5b (E
F R) on compliance by Ukraine and II/5c (E
F R) on compliance by Turkmenistan.
At their third meeting in June 2008, the Parties addressed the issue of compliance, inter alia on the basis of the Compliance Committee's report on general issues of compliance as well as its report with regard to compliance by several individual Parties. They adopted decision III/6 on general issues of compliance as well as six decisions on compliance by individual Parties.
The compliance mechanism may be triggered in four ways:
(1) a Party may make a submission about compliance by another Party;
(2) a Party may make a submission concerning its own compliance;
(3) the secretariat may make a referral to the Committee;
(4) members of the public may make communications concerning a Party's compliance with the convention.
In addition, the Committee may examine compliance issues on its own initiative and make recommendations;
prepare reports on compliance with or implementation of the provisions of the Convention at the request
of the Meeting of the Parties; and monitor, assess and facilitate the implementation of and compliance
with the reporting requirements under article 10, paragraph 2, of the Convention.
In the course of its work the Committee develops specific details of its modus
operandi.
Since its establishment, the Committee has reached a number of findings with regard to compliance by individual Parties. The Committee's considerations with regard to specific provisions of the Convention made in 2004-2008 have been compiled in a brochure by organization Society and Environment.
Committee members
The following persons serve on the Committee in a personal capacity:
| Chairperson: |
Mr. Veit Koester (Denmark) |
| Vice-Chair: |
Ms. Svitlana Kravchenko (Ukraine) |
| Members: |
|
| |
Mr. Jerzy Jendroska
(Poland)
Mr. Jonas Ebbesson (Sweden)
Mr. Merab Barbakadze (Georgia)
Mr. Alexander Kodjabashev (Bulgaria)
Mr. Vadim Nee (Kazakhstan)
Mr. Gerhard Loibl (Austria)
Ms. Ellen Hey (Netherlands) |
Meetings
Information about the meetings 1-20 of the Compliance Committee and its work in the period of October 2002 - May 2008 is available from the archives.
The twenty-fourth meeting of the Committee will be held in Geneva on 30 June - 3 July 2009. Among other things, the Committee will discuss the subject matter of communications ACCC/C/2008/23 (UK), ACCC/C/2008/27 (UK), ACCC/C/2008/29 (Poland) and ACCC/C/2008/30 (Moldova). It will finalize the draft findings with regard to communication ACCC/C/2007/22 (France). It will prepare draft findings on communications ACCC/C/2008/24 (Spain) and ACCC/C/2008/26 (Austria). It will also consider admissibility of any new communications received. The Committee will also review the situation with the follow-up on the relevant decisions on compliance and on reporting adopted at the 3rd meeting of the Parties (Decisions III/6a to f).
The twenty-third meeting of the Committee was held in Geneva on 31 March - 3 April 2009. Among other things, the Committee reviewed the situation with the follow-up on the relevant decisions on compliance and on reporting adopted at the 3rd meeting of the Parties. In particular, the Committee found that the caution imposed on Turkmenistan by the Meeting of the Parties through decision III/6e of the Meeting of the Parties should become effective on 1 May 2009. It also found that, although the caution imposed on Ukraine by the Meeting of the Parties through decision III/6f should not become effective, Ukraine was not yet fully in compliance with its obligations under the Convention. The Committee also discussed the subject matter of communications ACCC/C/2007/24 (Spain), ACCC/C/2008/26 (Austria) and ACCC/C/2008/31 (Germany). It finalized the draft findings and, if applicable, recommendations on communications ACCC/C/2005/15 (Romania) and ACCC/C/2007/21 (EC). It continued its deliberations on the subject matter of communication ACCC/C/2007/22 (France). It considered new information received in connection with communications ACCC/C/2008/23 (United Kingdom), ACCC/C/2008/27 (United Kingdom) and ACCC/C/2008/28 (Denmark). It also considered admissibility of four new communications received since its 22nd meeting.
The twenty-second meeting of the Committee was held in Geneva on 17-19 December 2008. Among other things, the Committee discussed the subject matter of communication ACCC/C/2007/22 (France), continued its deliberations on the subject matter of communication ACCC/C/2007/21 (EC), considered new information received in connection with communications ACCC/C/2008/23 (UK) and ACCC/C/2008/28 (Denmark) and considered admissibility of five new communications received since its 21st meeting. The Committee also reviewed the situation with the follow-up on the relevant decisions on compliance and on reporting adopted at the 3rd meeting of the Parties.
The twenty-first meeting of the Committee was held in Geneva on 17-19 September 2008. Among other things, the Committee held a discussion on communications ACCC/C/2007/21 (EC), reviewed new information received in connection with communications ACCC/C/2007/22 (France), ACCC/C/2008/23 (UK) and ACCC/C/2008/24 (Spain), and considered 3 new communications (ACCC/C/2008/26 (Austria), ACCC/C/2008/27 (UK) and ACCC/C/2008/28 (Denmark)). Meeting documents, as they become available, can be accessed here.
The twentieth meeting of the Committee was held on 8-10 June 2008 in Riga (Latvia). Among other things, the Committee discussed presentation of its report to the 3rd meeting of the Parties later that week, including updates on compliance by individual Parties. It discussed the outcome of the reporting by Parties on implementation. It also discussed in an open session preliminary admissibility of communication ACCC/C/2008/24 (Spain) and ACCC/C/2008/25 (Albania). Meeting documents, as they become available, can be accessed here.
Documents
| Basic Documents |
English |
Français |
Русский |
| Decision I/7 of the Meeting of the Parties |
 |
|
|
| Report of the first meeting of the Parties (ECE/MP.PP/2) |
|
|
|
| Decisions
adopted at the 3rd meeting of the Parties
regarding compliance with the Convention |
| |
English |
Français |
Русский |
| Decision
III/6 on general issues of compliance |
|
|
|
| Decision
III/6a on compliance by Albania |
|
|
|
| Decision
III/6b on compliance by Armenia |
|
|
|
| Decision III/6c on compliance by Kazakhstan |
|
|
|
| Decision III/6d on compliance by Lithuania |
|
|
|
| Decision III/6e on compliance by Turkmenistan |
|
|
|
| Decision III/6f on compliance by Ukraine |
|
|
|
| Decisions adopted at the 2nd meeting of the Parties regarding compliance with the Convention |
| |
English |
Francais |
Русский |
| Decision II/5 on general issues of compliance (ECE/MP.PP/2005/2/Add.6) |
|
|
|
| Decision II/5a on compliance by Kazakhstan (ECE/MP.PP/2005/2/Add.7) |
|
|
|
| Decision II/5b on compliance by Ukraine (ECE/MP.PP/2005/2/Add.8) |
|
|
|
| Decision II/5c on compliance by Turkmenistan (ECE/MP.PP/2005/2/Add.9) |
|
|
|