EU-r tten och den processuella autonomin p milj omr det – Om det svenska systemet med till tlighetsf rklaringar och m tet med europar tten

In this article, I discuss some aspects of the general impact of European law on environmental proceedings in Sweden. These aspects have each, to some extent, been highlighted in a controversial case about a limestone quarry on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland in Sweden, the Bunge case. I use this case to analyze and discuss theencounter between the Habitats Directive and the ability of the Swedish government and the environmental courts, according to the Environmental Code, to declare a certain activity permissible prior to the commencement of that activity, with a binding effect on the subsequent permit procedure. Second, I discuss whether a system that allows early decisions on permissibility with binding effect might conflict with the basic requirement for access to justice for the public concerned according to EU law and the Aarhus Convention. Third and last, I use the Bunge case to discuss the requirement for timeliness in environmental proceedings. In this respect, the articlealso concerns international obligations according to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Aarhus Convention.