Jurisdiction(s):
European Union

Key definition

Access definition

What does Access mean? In electronic communications practice, access describes one provider making its network facilities or services available to another, on defined terms, on an exclusive or non‑exclusive basis, so the latter can supply electronic communications services, including where those inputs are used to deliver information society services or broadcast content. The term is defined in the EU regulatory framework (formerly the Access Directive and now the European Electronic Communications Code) and implemented in Ireland; in the UK, the Communications Act 2003 uses the closely related statutory concept of network access, applied by Ofcom. In all UK jurisdictions (England & Wales, Scotland and...

EU Access to Environmental Information Directive 2003/4/EC: rights of access, definitions, public authority duties, exceptions, dissemination, charges and review

Published by a LexisNexis EU Law expert

Practice notes

Key information

AEI DirECtive title: Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public Access to Environmental information (AEI Directive)
In force from: 14 February 2003
Transposition deadline: 14 February 2005
National transposition measures: See Eur-Lex information on national transposition measures, as provided by Member States
Repeals: Council Directive 90/313/EEC (the 1990 Directive)
Subject: Access to environmental information; Access to justice

Purpose of the Access to Environmental Information (AEI) Directive

In 1990, the EU introduced Council Directive 90/313/EEC on ‘free access’ to information (the 1990 Directive). This was subsequently replaced by Directive 2003/4/EC (the AEI Directive) when the EU became a party to the 1998 UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention). The Aarhus Convention requires each Party to guarantee the public three core rights:

access to environmental information, covering the state of the environment, policies or measures affecting it, and public health and safety where these are influenced by the state of the environment
participation in environmental decision-making
access to justice in environmental...

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