JUSTGREEN
Justice through Strategic Litigation for Green Rights and Environmental Equity Network
Equipping people with tools to better understand EU's environmental law
Environmental harm is not only an ecological issue. It affects people’s health, homes, livelihoods and basic rights, and the burden falls hardest on those with the least power to respond. Across Europe, communities living near polluting industries, contaminated land or poorly managed infrastructure often struggle to be heard, and the EU Charter rights meant to protect them are rarely enforced in practice.
Strategic litigation can change this, but it requires legal knowledge, resources and support that many affected people, NGOs and activists do not have. Those who do speak up can face intimidation, including Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP-s).
The JUSTGREEN project responds to this problem by developing tools that equip people with knowledge on how to defend their environmental rights.
Main activities
At the heart of JUSTGREEN lie three interconnected outputs: a training programme, a digital hub with an AI-assisted tool and a legal helpdesk, and a network of organisations that work on environmental justice.
1. The training programme teaches people how to use their EU rights to protect the environment and their communities. It has two tracks. The first is for community members and activists who want to learn more about their environmental rights under the EU Charter. The second is for lawyers and other professionals, and gives them the tools to better support people who need environmental law advice.
2. The JUSTGREEN Digital Hub is an online space where anyone affected by environmental harm can find clear information about their rights. An AI-assisted tool helps visitors check whether their situation may involve a rights violation, and they can then submit their case securely on the platform. A human legal helpdesk reviews the submitted cases and gives individual advice on possible next steps, including support in preparing strategic litigation where it applies.
3. The JUSTGREEN network connects organisations that work on environmental justice, such as NGOs, legal clinics, universities and bar associations. Through it, the consortium links people who need environmental law advice with experts who have the tools and resources to guide them.
Project details
Project coordinator:
Centre for European Constitutional Law (EL)
Project partners:
Cosvitec EST (RO)
ProRights (IT)
Develop Athens S.A. (GR)
Center for the Study of Democracy (BG)
Society and Safety Foundation (BG)
Central and Eastern European Sustainable Energy Network (EE)
Nova Univerza, Faculty of Government and European Studies (SI)
Duration
November 2026 – October 2028 (24 months)
Budget
EUR 540,439.88, of which the amount of EU support is 486,395.90 (90% support intensity)
Project acronym:
JUSTGREEN
The JUSTGREEN project has received funding from the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) under grant agreement nr 101292737. The information and views set out in this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.