Aurora v Sweden (Aurora Case)

Earlier in Anton Foley and others v Sweden (Aurora Case), a group of over 600 young people born between 1996 and 2015 filed a class action lawsuit against the Swedish state, arguing that Sweden’s action on mitigating climate change is inadequate and thus in violation of their rights under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). On February 19, 2025, however, the Swedish Supreme Court rejected standing, finding that the applicants had not satisfied the victim status test required in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen and others v Switzerland.

Following the decision, on February 6, 2026, a new claim was submitted to the Stockholm District Court, this time by the association Aurora. The claim is framed around the standing criteria delineated in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen and others v Switzerland, advancing more or less the same claims as in the class action regarding violations of the rights to life and to private and family life (articles 2 and 8 ECHR) and the prohibition of discrimination (article 14). The state responded to this claim, accepting that the case could be heard on its merits, but disputing the claims made, arguing that the state has satisfied its climate change-related obligations under Article 8 of the ECHR.