An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland
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An Taisce aims to take a lead in public interest advocacy and community education for all aspects of sustainable development including human health and wellbeing, climate action, protection of ecosystems, and land, marine and resource use, community resilience, and cultural heritage to cooperate with civil society and other organisations, internationally, nationally and locally.
ID: 275657497595-21
Lobbying Activity
Response to European Democracy Shield
26 May 2025
An Taisce is one of Irelands oldest and largest independent environmental NGOs and works to preserve and protect Ireland's natural and built heritage. To address the twin existential crises of climate change and biodiversity loss as well as their innumerable societal impacts, much of our work centres around education and advocacy for sustainable planning and development on local, national and European levels as well as for the full implementation, enforcement, and improvement of national and European environmental law and policy. Critical to this work is our advocacy for public participation, access to justice, environmental democracy, and environmental justice, all of which we consider to be fundamental to functioning democratic systems. An Taisce, a member of the European Environmental Bureau and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, endorses the submission made by the Democracy for Transition Coalition and the recommendations therein (position paper attached). We also wish to make the following additional points and recommendations: We very much welcome the Commissions acknowledgement of the critical role played by civil society and civil society organisations in protecting and upholding democracy on all levels. We therefore consider that this role needs to be fully reflected and protected throughout all aspects of the framework to be created by the European Democracy Shield. It is without doubt crucial that European democracy is protected against foreign interference. At the same time, it is also vital to ensure that the Democracy Shield and its development are not open to abuse by Member State governments as a means to crack down on civil society (and its fundamental role under the EU treaties) via, for example, attempts to limit democratic engagement, restrict public participation in decision-making, restrict access to justice and information, restrict NGO funding, etc. Civil society must not be alienated or marginalised, including as a result of forces within the EU, as this in and of itself significantly raises the risk of the destabilisation of European democracy from both internal and external sources. The Democracy Shields focus on fostering citizens participation and engagement is very welcome, as this is fundamental to a functioning democracy, including in environmental decision-making. However, we consider that the Shield must also address the fact that effective public participation in democracy and democratic decision-making also requires the means for civil society to ensure and secure enforcement of those decisions as well as local, national, European, and international law and policy generally. The institutions and establishments at both EU and Member State levels must be clearly accountable to society the rights to access to justice and access to information are therefore key. As such, we consider that the Democracy Shield needs to include clear and explicit commitments and initiatives to uphold, protect, and enhance the rights to access to justice and access to information at Union and Member State levels. We would highlight that the work of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) is essential to the effective implementation of environmental democracy in the EU and in non-EU states that are parties to the Aarhus Convention. Financial support from the EU for the ACCC Secretariat is needed in light of years of chronic underfunding and the Secretariats ever-increasing workload, including advice for Parties, follow-up on findings endorsed by the Meeting of the Parties, other compliance work, and outreach. This should be included in the Shields framework. Maintaining the independence of the judiciary, at both EU and Member State levels, is also crucial, as is the continued proper resourcing of the judiciary. The Democracy Shield should address these issues. The Shield should require and facilitate an increased focus on the EU Rule of Law Process and increased resourcing to support it.
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