Recital 1

(1)The 8th Environment Action Programme of the European Union adopted by Decision (EU) 2022/591 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁴ requires the Commission, Member States, regional and local authorities and stakeholders, to apply high standards of transparency, public participation and access to justice effectively, in accordance with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the ‘Aarhus Convention’), both at Union and Member State levels.