1991 Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

Espoo Convention, EIA Convention

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United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Article 15 ‘Settlement of Disputes’:

“1. If a dispute arises between two or more Parties about the interpretation or application of this Convention, they shall seek a solution by negotiation or by any other method of dispute settlement acceptable to the parties to the dispute.

2. When signing, ratifying, accepting, approving or acceding to this Convention, or at any time thereafter, a Party may declare in writing to the Depositary that for a dispute not resolved in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article, it accepts one or both of the following means of dispute settlement as compulsory in relation to any Party accepting the same obligation:

(a) Submission of the dispute to the International Court of Justice,

(b) Arbitration in accordance with the procedure set out in Appendix VII.

3. If the parties to the dispute have accepted both means of dispute settlement referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, the dispute may be submitted only to the International Court of Justice, unless the parties agree otherwise.”

Read together with Appendix VII ‘Arbitration’.

Secretary-General of the United Nations

Appendix I: List of Activities

Appendix II: Content of the Environmental Impact Assessment Documentation

Appendix III: General Criteria to Assist in the Determination of the Environmental Significance of Activities not listed in Appendix I

Appendix IV: Inquiry Procedure

Appendix V: Post-Project Analysis

Appendix VI: Elements for Bilateral and Multilateral Co-operation

Appendix VII: Arbitration

10/09/1997

Article 18 ‘Entry into Force’:

“1. This Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit of the sixteenth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

2. For the purpose of paragraph 1 of this Article, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by States members of such an organization.

3. For each State or organization referred to in Article 16 which ratifies, accepts or approves this Convention or accedes thereto after which the deposit of the sixteenth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, this Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit by such State or organization of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.”

Article 19 ‘Withdrawal’:

“At any time after four years from the date on which this Convention has come into force with respect to a Party, that Party may withdraw from this Convention by giving written notification to the Depositary. Any such withdrawal shall take effect on the ninetieth day after the date of its receipt by the Depositary. Any such withdrawal shall not affect the application of Articles 3 to 6 of this Convention to a proposed activity in respect of which a notification has been made pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 1, or a request has been made pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 7, before such withdrawal took effect.”

2001 Amendment to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

2003 Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

2004 Amendment to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

1972 Declaration of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment

1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses

1992 Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents

1998 Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe accessed on 28/07/2021