Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL EN LA DEFENSA JUDICIAL DEL MEDIOAMBIENTE: INSUFICIENCIAS Y OPORTUNIDADES PERDIDAS. |
| Alternate Title: |
CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE JUDICIAL PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT: SHORTCOMINGS AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. |
| Authors: |
Reifarth Muñoz, Walter1 |
| Source: |
Actualidad Jurídica Ambiental. may2026, Issue 167, p1-29. 29p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*Environmental law, *Liability for environmental damages, Civil procedure, Spaniards, Actions & defenses (Law), Civil society |
| Geographic Terms: |
Spain |
| Abstract (English): |
This article examines the procedural mechanisms that enable citizens to seek judicial protection of the environment in Spain and concludes that the current legal framework affords insufficient safeguards in this field. It finds that the socalled environmental actio popularis is effectively confined to non-profit organisations that must satisfy strict requirements concerning their incorporation, statutory purposes and territorial nexus. Likewise, the ‘neighbour action’, limited to matters affecting the urban environment, has proved to be only marginally effective due to its narrow subjective scope, the general lack of public awareness, and the costs associated with bringing such claims. The article identifies a significant regulatory gap in civil proceedings, which lack a specific channel for claims seeking compensation for environmental harm, unless such harm arises within a consumer relationship. It therefore suggests taking advantage of the forthcoming reform on representative actions to incorporate collective environmental standing into civil litigation and to introduce cy-près-type remedies for diffuse damage. In short, this paper advocates for greater involvement of civil society through accessible and coherent procedural mechanisms, consistent with an approach to environmental protection that is, now more than ever, both urgent and indispensable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Abstract (Spanish): |
Este trabajo analiza los mecanismos procesales que posibilitan la intervención de la ciudadanía en la defensa judicial del medioambiente en España y concluye que el ordenamiento jurídico vigente ofrece una tutela insuficiente en este campo. Se constata que la mal llamada acción popular ambiental queda reservada a asociaciones sin ánimo de lucro dotadas de estrictos requisitos de constitución, objeto social y vinculación territorial. Asimismo, la denominada acción vecinal, circunscrita al ámbito del medioambiente urbano, evidencia una eficacia residual debido a su limitado alcance subjetivo, al desconocimiento del instrumento por el público general y a los costes asociados a su ejercicio. Se pone de manifiesto la existencia de un vacío normativo relevante en el proceso civil, que carece de un cauce específico para las pretensiones resarcitorias del daño ambiental, salvo que se encuentre mediatizado por una relación de consumo. A tal fin, se propone aprovechar la futurible reforma sobre las acciones de representación para incorporar una legitimación colectiva ambiental en el proceso civil y la adopción de técnicas de reparación propias del cy-près. El trabajo propone, en suma, una mayor participación de la sociedad civil mediante instrumentos procesales accesibles y coherentes con una protección ambiental que, hoy más que nunca, es urgente y necesaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
GreenFILE |
