Alles auf Anfang? Die Beschwerdebefugnis von Vereinigungen vor dem EGMR in Nachhaltigkeitsfragen

In Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others/Switzerland, the European Court of Human Rights granted „locus standi“ to the applicant association in matters of climate law, departing from its settled case law on the legal standing of associations. However, in the recent environmental case Cannavacciuolo and Others/Italy, the Court denied legal standing to the applicant associations, thus limiting „locus standi“ to climate cases only. This article argues that the Court’s differing approach to legal standing of associations inmatters of environmental sustainability cannot be justified by „specific considerations relating to climate change“. Furthermore, the reasoning presented in KlimaSeniorinnen is not compliant with Art. 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights.