Presentation

The Council of the European Union (shortly Council) is an essential EU decision-maker. It is a non-permanent, collective, supreme body of the European Union representing the interests of the EU Member States. It negotiates and adopts legislative acts mostly together with the European Parliament which represents the voice of the European citizens. Every six months a different EU Member State holds the Presidency of the Council. The EU Member States prepare for the Presidency of the Council in partnership with three member states (the so-called “trio”) to ensure a smooth transition between presidencies and a longterm continuity and effectiveness of the Council work. The trio determines long-term objectives and draws-up a programme of major issues the Council will deal with over the 18-month period of the trio presidency.

Since the 1970s, the European environmental policy established itself from a byproduct of economic integration into an independent policy area. The EU environmental law, comprising today more than 500 directives, regulations and decisions, forms the most comprehensive set of environmental standards in the world. The EU environmental policy and law has become the major driving force for environmental policy and law in the member states. With the ratification of the Paris Agreement (2015) and adoption of the Green Deal for Europe, climate change has entered the sphere of binding obligation, both for the EU itself and its member States. As the environment is one of the shared competences, the European Union has put in place an efficient legal framework to assert its position in this area. In July 2021, the EU Commission adopted a series of legislative proposals (known as “Fit for 55”) setting out how the Commission intends to achieve climate neutrality in the EU by 2050. In line with this continuity, France, the Czech Republic and Sweden presented their programme for the 18 months of their successive presidencies. If it contains measures regarding climate change and carbon neutrality, national implementation as well as contentious cases demonstrate some disparity within the application of the environmental obligations, such as “Notre affaire à tous” before the French courts, or the “Túrow coal mine” case brought before the EU Court of Justice by the Czech Republic.

Since January 1st, 2022, the Council is presided over by France, which will be followed by the Czech Republic from July 1st, 2022 and by Sweden from January 1st, 2023. The increasing impacts of climate change, overconsumption of natural resources and the alarming rate of biodiversity loss are one of the most pressing environmental challenges the Europe is facing, and the current and future presidencies will have to address it.

This international workshop aims to explore how and to what extent the French – Czech – Swedish Presidencies of the Council of the EU can be expected to succeed in moving forward the EU's plan to become the world leader in sustainability and climate protection while dealing with other pressing issues such as COVID- 19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. Political, legal, scientific as well as ethical perspectives of the current trio presidency's impact on EU environmental policy and law will be considered and discussed.

Program

8:30 : Registration

9:00 : Welcoming addresses
Martin Faix, Vice-Dean for International Affairs
Alexis Dutertre, Ambassador of France to the Czech Republic (online)
Marie-Elisabeth Baudoin, Vice-President of Clermont Auvergne University for International and European Affairs

Panel 1 – EU and the Environmental Issue

Moderator : Jérôme Heurtaux, Director of CEFRES

9:30 : The evolution of the concept of environment as a legal object
Arthur Thevenet, PhD Student, Palacký University & Clermont Auvergne University

9:50 : The EU competences regarding environmental matters
Valentin Bayeh, PhD Student at Clermont Auvergne University

10:10 : Presentation of the presidency program regarding environmental matters
Christine Bertrand, Assistant Professor, Clermont Auvergne University

10:30 : Discussion

10:50 : Coffee break

Panel 2 – Implementing the EU Environmental Law and Policy

Moderator : Marie-Elisabeth Baudoin, Professor, Clermont Auvergne University

11:10 : The implementation of the EU environmental law within the French municipal law
Agathe Chirossel, PhD Student, ATER, Clermont Auvergne University

11:30 : The implementation of the EU environmental law within the Czech municipal law
Veronika Tomoszková, Assistant Professor, Palacký University

11:50 : Role of universities in implementing the EU environmental policy
Zuzana Huňková, Coordinator for Sustainable Development of Palacký University
& Veronika Tomoszková, Assistant Professor, Palacký University

12:10 : Discussion

12:30 : Lunch break

Panel 3 – New Debates about EU Environmental Policy

Moderator : Veronika Tomoszková, Assistant Professor, Palacký University

14:00 : Disinformation and propaganda undermining environmental transformation in the Czech Republic
Ondrej Filipec, Assistant Professor, Palacký University

14:20 : Environmental migration and migration policies of the European Union
Kateřina Dostálová, PhD Student, Palacký University

14:40 : Climate change and geopolitics : What role for Europe ?
Lucie Tungul, Assistant Professor, Palacký University

15:00 : Discussion

15:20 : Concluding remarks and summary of the workshop
Marie-Elisabeth Baudoin, Professor, Clermont Auvergne University

Link to the workshop on Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89812295559