04/06/2026 President
“Momentum is growing internationally and across Europe towards recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,” said PACE President Petra Bayr in a statement to mark World Environment Day (5 June 2026), urging Council of Europe states to move towards formal recognition of such a right.
“The landmark KlimaSeniorinnen judgment of the European Court of Human Rights confirmed that the climate catastrophe and environmental degradation directly affect the enjoyment of fundamental human rights. And the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming backing, a few days ago, for the historic World Court ruling on states’ climate obligations shows the growing international consensus that environmental and climate protection are matters of legal responsibility and human rights,” the President pointed out.
“The question is no longer whether environmental protection belongs within the human rights framework. The question is how to ensure its effective protection. The time has now come for Council of Europe member states to take the next step and advance towards the formal recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment within the Council of Europe system itself,” she added.
“Environmental crises know no borders,” the President concluded. “Protecting human rights today means protecting the environmental conditions on which those rights depend.”
The President spoke as members of the Assembly’s Parliamentary Network for a Healthy Environment gather at the Hellenic Parliament in Athens for a workshop on how to renew public narratives around climate and environmental action. Discussions will focus on connecting environmental policies to citizens’ everyday concerns – including health, food, housing and well-being, including social and economic security.
PACE has been calling for a legal right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment since 2021.