Topic Environmental law

Legal bases on national, european and international level

The Association for Environmental Law (Vereinigung für Umweltrecht VUR, Association pour le droit de l’environnement ade) provides a overview of judicial rulings on environmental law. The complete rulings of the Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Administrative Court are available.

The federal government sets out the objectives of environmental protection in 12 federal acts and 74 ordinances. Enforcement is the practical implementation of environmental legislation. The cantons are primarily responsible for enforcing federal legislation. In areas such as gene technology or waste import and export, the federal authorities are directly responsible for enforcing the law, as is the case with other federal laws (railways, national roads, aerodromes etc.).

Under Art. 49 para. 2 of the Federal Constitution, the Confederation must ensure that the cantons conduct their duties according to the law, and this includes ensuring that environmental legislation is applied equally throughout Switzerland.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making processes and access to justice in environmental matters was signed in Aarhus, Denmark in 1998 and came into effect in 2001. Switzerland ratified the Convention in March 2014 and has been a party to the agreement since 1 June 2014.

European environmental law and comparative legal opinions