On January 31, 2023, the NGO Declic and a group of individuals issued an application for judicial review  before the Cluj Court of Appeal against the Romanian Government, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, seeking that the court order the authorities to take all necessary measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (hereinafter GHG) by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. They also demand that the Court order the Romanian Government et al. to take adequate measures to increase the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption to 45% and to increase energy efficiency by 13% by 2030.

Last but not least, they requested the court to order the Romanian authorities to implement concrete and coherent climate change mitigation and adaptation plans, including annual carbon budgets, within a maximum of 30 days from the final judgment, in order to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

In a nutshell, there were three big questions needed to be answered by the Court:
1. Whether national authorities are in breach of their legal obligations by applying GHG emission reduction targets for 2030 that are significantly lower than the target agreed at EU level for 2030.
2. Whether, according to objective standards, the measures taken by central authorities are sufficient, proportionate and will result in limiting global warming to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius?
3. Are the measures taken by the defendants compatible with the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Romanian Constitution, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the ECHR (right to a future in accordance with human dignity, right to health and an ecologically balanced environment, right to life and privacy)?

The defendants objected that the co-plaintiffs lacked standing and sufficient interest to bring the case to the court.
They also argued that such an action, if granted, would violate the principle of the separation of powers.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Forestry had also raised the objection of passive standing in respect of the 2nd head of the claim- to take adequate measures to increase the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption to 45% and to increase energy efficiency by 13% by 2030.

The legal reasoning of the Court of First Instance
The trial judge rejected the objection of lack of locus standi and the objection of the lack of interest on the part of the applicants, essentially by holding that the present case concerned an unjustified refusal to deal with an application which had implications in terms of the right to life and to a healthy environment, so that Article 1 of the Administrative Litigation Act No. 554/2004 ought to be applied. In determining the objections raised by the defendants, the Court duly took into account Article 95, Article 20 (6), Article 3, and Article 5 of GEO No. 195/2005- Law on Environmental Protection, in conjunction with Article 3 of Declic’s  Articles of Association.
The Court of First Instance dismissed the objection of passive standing in relation to the 2nd head of claim on the ground that a shared/interdependent power is established between the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Forestry and the Ministry of Energy with a view to ensuring an increase in the share of renewables in the final energy consumption and an increase in energy efficiency. Moreover, the trial judge noted that the question of the existence or non-existence of the rights and obligations asserted in relation to certain specific measures necessary to achieve the quotas set out in the application is a matter of substance, not of standing.
At the same time, the trial judge expressed neatly that in the case of a complex action which comprises several heads of claim which interfere with each other, the existence of the defendants' passive standing must be analysed in relation to the whole of the action, and not in relation to each head of claim, in a piecemeal manner, as such an analysis would be hollow and devoid of legal finality.

However, when considering the merits of the case, the Court of First Instance dismissed the co-pliantiffs’ application, for the following key reasons:
        Granting the application:  when the operative part of the judgment does not  because it cannot, identify what measures are necessary and  the concrete and coherent plans to achieve the climate objectives, would result in  the delivery of a judgment which is unenforceable and which would constitute a violation of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, with reference to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, which has held that the right to apply to a court would be illusory if the domestic legal order of a Contracting State allowed a final and binding judgment to be ineffective to the detriment of a party (Imobiliara Saffi v Italy - 1999, paragraph 63; Dorneanu v Romania - 2007, paragraph 32).

         By granting a judgment allowing the claimants' action, without indicating any criteria on the basis of which the claim contained in the enforceable title becomes certain (the claimants leaving the defendants free to decide on the measures to be taken, even though the premise of the present dispute is, from their point of view, precisely the inadequacy of the measures taken), the judgment debtors are left free to refuse or to determine the scope and application of the enforceable title themselves.
The plaintiffs appealed against the judgment. 
They also submitted a memorandum to the Romanian Supreme Court, requesting it to ask the European Court of Human Rights for an advisory opinion under the 16th Protocol to the ECHR on the following points:
(1)         Does the decision of the court of first instance dismissing the action for failure to identify a specific measure to which the defendants are to be obliged infringe the doctrine of the margin of appreciation enshrined in the case-law of the ECtHR?
(2)         The question to be answered by the ECtHR is whether, having regard to the individual circumstances of the present case, the national court can be considered to have taken a decision on the merits of the case concerning the rights alleged to have been infringed, within the meaning of Article 13 ECHR and as consolidated in ECtHR case-law?
(3)         Whether the refusal to hear the case on the ground that the collective effort to combat climate change entails the jurisdiction of a supranational jurisdiction violates the procedural rights under Articles 6 and 13 ECHR?
(4)         Whether the removal of soft-law interpretation tools from the case, without giving reasons constitutes a violation of Articles 6 and 13 ECHR?
(5)         Whether the violation of the rights of access to a court and to an effective remedy amounts to a violation of Articles 2 and 8 ECHR, as well as the constitutional right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment?


Declic et al. v. The Romanian Government

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Declic et al. v. The Romanian Government - judgment

Filed

Romania

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

A subsidy is a direct or indirect payment to individuals or businesses, typically provided as a government cash payment or a specific tax reduction.

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

Tradable permits are market-based tools that grant permission for specific activities, frequently used to regulate emissions. These permits can be issued within a trading system to manage environmental impacts.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

A commitment to balance GHG emissions with removal by a certain point in time, effectively reducing the net emissions to zero

Using laws and the legal system more broadly to protect vulnerable entities

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Actions or measures to adapt terrestrial systems to climate change.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

Actions and measures to adapt and increase resilience of societies and the economy to climate change.

Hot temperature extremes are daily maximum temperatures  that were exceeded on average once in a decade or once in 50 years, and includes heatwaves.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

A potent, short-lived greehouse gas, largely released from livestock, fossil fuel extraction and waste management.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

A drought is an extended period of unusually dry weather marked by a significant and sustained lack of precipitation, falling below a specific threshold over a large area for more than a month

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

Electrical energy generated from mechanical devices driven by flowing fresh water.

Production of electricity and heat from solar irradiation.

Kinetic energy of airflow transformed into useful energy, mostly electrical energy.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

Activities that provide lodging, food, and entertainment services to guests, including hotels, restaurants, and resorts.

This sector provides communication services, software development, and IT solutions.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

Activities that relate to the production of goods and services from forests.

Climate change can have a range of impacts on technological system. Extreme weather events can cause infrastructure failures like power outages or damage to roads and bridges, as well as the impacts from waste following natural disasters. Human activities also cause technological impacts, such as the risks posed by oil spillage and leaks.

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Heavy precipitation refers to any form of weather where substances fall from the sky, including rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Declic et al. v. The Romanian Government - judgment

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance