Is the precautionary principle adequately embedded in the Dutch Environment and Planning Act?
Rogier Kegge, Assistant Professor at the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law, contributed to the technical brief on the precautionary principle that was presented to the Standing Committee on the Environment on Tuesday 15 October.
The precautionary principle is one of the most important legal principles in international and European environmental law. It establishes that companies and government authorities take action when there are reasonable grounds to believe that activities may have potential harmful effects on the environment and public health.
Rogier Kegge co-authored a factsheet with Professor Kars de Graaf of Groningen University on the precautionary principle and how this principle is embedded in current environmental law in the Netherlands. The central question raised was whether the precautionary principle is sufficiently embedded in the Dutch Environment and Planning Act and how local residents can be better protected from the negative effect of industry.
More information (in Dutch) is available here.
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