Democracy in Europe is in crisis. Yet, this democratic crisis is also an institutional crisis. Institutions are widely seen as failing to deliver the public goods that citizens expect from them. This becomes probably most apparent in relation to social justice and the protection of the climate and the environment.
The necessary and painfully slowly unfolding green transition requires deep socio-economic changes in Europe. Changes of this depth and magnitude necessarily have far-reaching redistributive consequences and are controversial as they alter the status quo that privileges some interests and legally allows in many ways imposing harm on others.
Counter-majoritarian instruments are used in decision-making (impact assessments; mini-publics) and in challenges of both the status quo and regulatory change (litigation; stakeholder consultations).
About the lecture series
In this lecture series, we will explore how counter-majoritarian instruments and democracy interact; how they relate to inequality and social justice; and how they relate to citizens’ trust and rational decision-making.
The first lecture
Inequalities and social-environmental justice in the EU climate transition: what role for legal rights and processes?
Professor Chiara Armeni, from the Université libre de Bruxelles, will be discussing her new paper exploring the multiple and intersectional inequalities arising from the climate transition.
Could focusing on the role of law strengthen legal rights and processes to support a more integrated framework for social-environmental justice under the European Green Deal?
- Date: 20 November 2023
- Time: 15:30 -17:00 (CET)
The Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance
Hosting this seminar series is RED-SPINEL partner, the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance (ACELG), from the University of Amsterdam.
ACELG seeks to proactively contribute to the academic and policy debate on the evolution of legal and governance processes in Europe. Its focus is on mapping and understanding of, as well as critically reflecting upon, the constitutional (political, legal, and economic) evolution that has taken place, or is taking place, in the European Union.
