WG Environment and Planning

WG Environment and Planning

Description

Environmental law is a rapidly evolving and continuously impacting different areas of national, European and international law and governance. It has been a seminal field within AEAJ activities since its creation.
In 2026, AEAJ decided to extend the scope of the Working Group to Planning law, taking into consideration that both environmental law and planning law are more and more intertwined, especially in judicial practice. Planning law deals with the legality of plans and permits in matter of land use, a key part of administrative judges' portfolio sometimes dealing with major projects attracting the attention of the general public.
The AEAJ Working Group on Environment and Planning aims to enhance knowledge, efficiency, and effectiveness of administrative judges in handling cases related to environment and planning issues, ensuring that legal decisions contribute to environmental justice and the development of spatial land use in a long-term perspective. 
We promote consistency, build capacity, and foster collaboration among judges to ensure that environment and planning cases are handled with the highest standards of legal and scientific understanding. Annual seminars are our platform of exchanges on legal precedents, case studies, and best practices related to environment and planning adjudication. 
The seminars invite as speakers leading experts from across Europe and the world, practitioners, decision-makers and advocacy actors, as well as scholars coming from a wide range of European universities.

 Chairs

  • Ms IndrÄ— ŽvaigždinienÄ—
  • Mr Matthias Keller

Meetings

  • 10-11 Sept. 2026 - Ghent, Belgium: Climate arguments in court cases against plans and permits
  • 18-19 Sept. 2025 - Würzburg, Germany: No plan is perfect: urban and environmental planning under judicial review
  • 26-27 Sept. 2024 - Tallinn, Estonia: New Rules on Renewables: Challenges for Administrative Courts
  • 21-22 Sept. 2023 - Nancy, France: In dubio pro futuro: Protection of Future Generations in Public Law