Dies ist eine HTML Version eines Anhanges der Informationsfreiheitsanfrage 'Publication of requests for internal review'.


 
The President 
Werner Hoyer 
European Investment Bank 
98-100, boulevard Konrad Adenauer 
L-2950 Luxembourg 
Luxembourg 
 
Date December 10th 2021 
 
REQUEST FOR INTERNAL REVIEW 
 
NLVOW Nederlandse Vereniging Omwonenden Windturbines 
Greveling 8 
9654 PT  Annerveenschekanaal  
Nederland 
 
Dear President, Mr Hoyer, 
 
I  am  writing  to  you  on  behalf  of  Nederlandse  Vereniging  Omwonenden  Windturbines 
(NLVOW) in order to submit a formal request for an internal review pursuant to Article 10 of 
Regulation (EC) 1367/2006, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/1767, on the application of 
the  provisions  of  the  Aarhus  Convention  on  Access  to  Information,  Public  Participation  in 
Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions 
and bodies (hereafter the “Aarhus Regulation (as amended)”). 
 
It is has come to the attention of NLVOW, that the European Investment Bank is engaged in 
funding  the  National  Energy  and  Climate  Plans  (NECPs)  and  the  associated  Projects  of 
Common  Interest  in  circumstances  wherein,  we  are  given  to  understand,  that the European 
Union has failed to comply with its legal obligations, including those set out in the Aarhus 
Convention. In that regard, we are of the view that the EIB’s aforesaid engagement constitutes 
an  ‘administrative  act(s)’  as  defined  in  Article  1  of  the  Aarhus  Regulation  (as  amended)”) 
which defines an administrative act as follows: 
 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

administrative act’ means any non-legislative act adopted by a Union institution or 
body, which has legal and external effects and contains provisions that may contravene 
environmental law within the meaning of point (f) of Article 2(1); 

 
The Union’s failure to comply with its legal obligations, including the provisions of the Aarhus 
Convention relative to the NECPs and associated projects (as decided by the United Nations 
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in October 2021), is ongoing. 
 
We are sure you will appreciate from the foregoing that implications of a legal nature clearly 
arise for the EIB which undoubtedly have a significant bearing upon the European Investment 
Bank’s funding of the NECPs and associated projects in our jurisdiction. It is the opinion of 
NLVOW that this matter warrants your immediate attention. We therefore call upon the EIB 
to conduct an internal review and to take all necessary action to address this matter forthwith 
so as to ensure compliance with the law and/or environmental law, and in particular, in relation 
to the Netherlands NECP  (“Integraal Nationaal Energie- en Klimaatplan 2021-2030”, INEK, 
November 25th of 2019) .  
 
LEGAL BASIS FOR REQUEST 
 
NLVOW  is  entitled  to  submit  this  request  for  internal  review  on  the  grounds  that  our 
organisation fulfils the criteria set out in Article 11 of Regulation (EC) 1367/2006 (as amended 
by Regulation (EU) 2021/1767), (hereafter referred to as the “Aarhus Regulation”). NLVOW 
is an independent non-profit making legal entity registered in accordance with [Insert Member 
State] law. Please see NLVOW’s Memorandum and Articles of Association enclosed herewith 
(see Annex 1). NLVOW was founded in 2013 with the aim of of  (see article 2 of the attachment 
1 (Statutes) of Annex 1): 
1. The purpose of the association is: to look after and defend the interests of local residents  
with respect to (plans for) wind energy projects in their environment 
2. The association endeavors to achieve this aim, inter alia, by: 
  preparing and offering information to local residents about opportunities to defend their 
interests in wind energy projects in their environment; 
  preparing  and  offering  information  to  politicians  and  administrators  about  the 
advantages and disadvantages for residents living near wind energy projects;  
  the dissemination of knowledge and fact-based information on wind energy projects to 
the general public through website(s), publications and social media; 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

  the making of agreements with experts, in particular legal service providers, to assist 
local residents in proceedings and other activities; 
  organizing conferences and workshops on the social, medical, economic and technical 
aspects of wind energy;  
  and the conducting legal proceedings and carrying out actions required in the in the 
broadest sense promotes the aims of the association 
The  subject  matter  of  this  request  for  an  internal  review  is  covered  by  the  objective  and 
activities of our organisation. 
 
GROUNDS FOR SEEKING INTERNAL REVIEW 
 
The primary ground for making the within request relates to the EU’s ongoing non-compliance 
with  international  law  which  thereby  affects,  directly  and/or  indirectly,  the  acts  of  the  EIB 
relative to both its aforesaid funding activities and its legal obligations. 
 
In 2010, the UNECE, through its Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (the “ACCC”), 
initiated a compliance investigation against the EU concerning the implementation of Directive 
(2009/28/EC)  in  the  Republic  of  Ireland  and  the  National  Renewable  Energy  Action  Plans 
(NREAPs). As a result of its findings during the foregoing investigation, the ACCC declared 
the EU to be non-compliant with international law. This resulted in the UNECE engaging in 
compliance  proceedings  against  the  EU  over  the  course  of  the  following  decade.  This 
investigation  was  entitled  Communication ACCC/C/2010/54  and  its  findings  and 
recommendations were adopted on 2nd October 2012 1.  
 
In June 2014, a Meeting of the Parties (MoP) took place in Maastricht, Belgium (this was the 
5th Meeting of the Parties of the Aarhus Convention). The Parties adopted decision V/9g in 
relation  to  ACCC’s  findings  and  recommendations  noted  in  ACCC/C/2010/54  (cf. 
https://unece.org/env/pp/cc/european-union-decision-v9g).  Pursuant  to  the  ACCC’s  decision 
V/9g  of  Non-Compliance  in  International  Law,  the  MoP  found  the  EU  to  be  in  breach  of 
international law and declared that the EU was obliged to demonstrate the following [Emphasis 
added]: 
 
                                                 
1 cf. https://unece.org/env/pp/cc/accc.c.2010.54_european-union 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

(a) That it had adopted a proper regulatory framework and/or clear instructions 
for implementing Article 7 of the Convention with respect to the adoption of 
National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs);   
 
(b) It would ensure that the arrangements for public participation in its Member 
States  are  transparent  and  fair  and  that  within  those  arrangements  the 
necessary information is provided to the public;  
 
(c) It would ensure that the requirements of Article 6, paragraphs 3, 4 and 8, of 
the Convention are met, including reasonable time frames, allowing sufficient 
time  for  informing  the  public  and  for  the  public  to  prepare  and  participate 
effectively,  allowing  for  early  public  participation  when  all  options  are 
open, and ensuring that due account is taken of the outcome of the public 
participation
 
(d) It had adapted the manner in which it evaluates NREAPs accordingly. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In the interim between the 5th ACCC Meeting of the Parties (MoP) in 2014 and the 6th MoP in 
September 2017, the ACCC continued to investigate the EU over its ongoing failure to comply 
with its decision V/9g as referred to above.   
 
Thereafter, the ACCC engaged in further investigations between September 2017 and October 
2021, when the 7th MoP took place in Geneva. During that period, the ACCC focused on the 
adoption of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) for the period 2021 – 2030.  
 
Following a detailed analysis during the 7th MoP between 18th to 21st October 2021, the ACCC 
concluded that the NECPs have been unlawfully adopted by the EU, constituting a repeat of 
the same failures in respect of compliance with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention which 
were inherent in the EU’s adoption of the NREAPs in the past.  
 
During  the  7th  MoP,  the  ACCC  observed  that  the  EU  had  failed  to  comply  with  all  of  the 
requirements set out in the Committee’s decision V/9g as adopted by the parties in 2014. In 
that regard, VII/8f (as amended) was adopted on 21st October 2021 concerning the EU’s said 
non-compliance.  
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

Accordingly, the NECPs were declared unlawful in international law (and hence EU law). In 
this regard, the ACCC concluded that: 
(a) The Party concerned has put in place a regulatory framework that meets the 
requirements of article 6 (3) of the Convention with respect to NECPs but has not yet 
demonstrated that it has adopted either a proper regulatory framework or clear 
instructions to ensure that the other requirements of article 7 are met in the adoption 
of NECPs, as required by the first three sentences of paragraph 3 of decision V/9g;  
(b) While welcoming the fact that the Party concerned has carried out an assessment 
of public participation on each member State’s NECP, albeit in brief, the Party 
concerned has not yet met the requirements of the final sentence of paragraph 3 of 
decision V/9g.”2 
The ACCC further stated: 
The Committee recommends to the Meeting of the Parties that it reaffirm its decision 
V/9g and, in particular, request the Party concerned, as a matter of urgency:  
(a) To provide the Committee with evidence that it has adopted a proper regulatory 
framework and/or clear instructions for implementing article 7 of the Convention with 
respect to the adoption of NECPs, and, in particular, to take the necessary legislative, 
regulatory or practical measures to:  
(i) Ensure that the arrangements for public participation in its member States are 
transparent and fair and that, within those arrangements, the necessary information 
is provided to the public;  
(ii) Ensure that the adopted regulatory framework and/or clear instructions ensure 
that the requirements of article 6 (4) and (8) of the Convention are met, including 
allowing for early public participation when all options are open, and ensuring that 
due account is taken of the outcome of the public participation;  
                                                 
2 https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/ECE.MP_.PP_.2021.51_ac.pdf, para 144. 
 
 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

(b) To adapt the manner in which it evaluates NECPs accordingly.” 3 
In light of the foregoing, it is evident that the EU’s acts and omissions are very much at odds 
with the requirement of strict observance with international law as enshrined in Art 3 (5) TEU 
(ex Article 2 TEU) and, therefore, constitute a breach of both international and EU law which 
the EU has to date failed to address and rectify. 
 
Funding by the European Investment Bank (EIB) 
 
The  NECPs  define  renewable  capacity,  interconnectors,  and  similar  infrastructure  to  be 
delivered between 2021 and 2030 in the European Union. Furthermore, NLVOW understands 
that  the  EIB  intends  to  leverage  a  trillion  Euro  in  climate  related  investments  over  the 
forthcoming decade. From various publications NLVOW deduces that about 4 billion Euro’s 
will be funded each year by the EIB to projects in the Netherlands, of which a larger part will 
be spent on supporting the targets of the Netherlands NECP 2021-2030. 
 
NLVOW has also taken note of the conclusions of the EU Ombudsman, case 1251/2020/PB of 
June 8th 2021, that, in short, the EIB is not sufficiently transparent to determine how much 
funding above or under 25 million Euro’s is provided by the EIB to energy projects related to 
the Netherlands NECP 2021-2030.  However, the Netherlands NECP 2021-2030 refers to the 
European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) of the EIB as a potential source for financing 
projects and other activities that will contribute to achieving the goals of the NECP.  
 
It is common case that as a matter of EU law the NECPs must undergo Strategic Environmental 
Assessment (SEA) before adoption, which incorporates the requirements of Article 7 of the 
Aarhus Convention. NLVOW understands that no such assessments have taken place in the 
instant  matter  in  relation  to  the  Netherlands  NECP  2021-2030.    In  view  of  the  above 
observations  on  the  Aarhus  Convention,  the  NLVOW  finds  it  remarkable  that  in  its  first 
paragraph the Netherlands NECP states quite openly that only a small and selected group of 
stakeholders had been was participating in drafting the plan, while clearly there was no citizen 
participation at the moment when all options were open. On the contrary: after finishing a first 
draft of the plan just a limited set of questions were submitted to the public in the form of an 
internet consultation.   
                                                 
3 Ibid, para 145. 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

 
Moreover, the NLVOW also draws the attention of the EIB to the fact that in a decision of June 
30, 2021 in case 201504506/1/R6 the Council of State ruled that national norms on windturbine 
noise and shadow flicker could no longer be used in granting permits for wind farms as these 
norms were in violation of EU law on the ground they had been adopted in 2010 without a 
proper SEA. Since then there has been a great deal of legal uncertainty on the procedures to 
approve new wind farm projects and even on the validity of permits granted in the past. 
 
So far the NLVOW has not seen any information on the EIB’s website that suggests the EIB 
is aware of this situation and the legal issues and uncertainties that arise from it. 
 
These observations lend strength to the view of the NLVOW that the EIB has failed to comply 
with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention, namely, Article 7 thereof. Therefore, the EIB is 
in breach of both international and EU law. Accordingly, this is of significant import regarding 
the EIB’s aforesaid NECP funding activities in our jurisdiction.  
 
As you will no doubt be aware, Article 1 of the Statute of the EIB states: 
 
“The European Investment Bank established by Article 308 of the Treaty on the 
Functioning of the European Union (hereinafter called the ‘Bank’) is hereby 
constituted; it shall perform its functions and carry on its activities in 
accordance with the provisions of the Treaties and of this Statute.” 
 
In light of the forgoing, it is the respectful opinion of  NLVOW that the EIB’s NECP funding 
activities in our jurisdiction must be addressed as a matter of urgency in order to ensure full 
compliance with EU law and/or environmental law.  
 
The following documents are enclosed herewith (see Annex 1): 
  The Applicant’s statutes of the organisation; 
  The Applicant’s Annual reports for two years prior to this request; 
  Evidence of the Applicant’s registration as a non-profit organisation in The Netherlands 
  The Applicant’s technical background for making this request; 
 
 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 


CONCLUSION 
 
In light of the foregoing, NLVOW respectfully asks the EIB to do the following: 
 
  Conduct an internal review of the EIB’s funding of the Netherlands NCEP in light of 
the ongoing non-compliance with international and EU law, and in particular VII/8f (as 
amended), adopted on 21st October 2021; 
 
  More specifically, the NLVOW requests the EIB in its internal review to address the 
following  questions:  (1)  has  the  EIB  provided  EFSI  funding  to  projects  and  other 
activities that are associated with the NL NECP 2021-2030; (2) has the EIB received 
applications for EFSI funding for projects and other activities that are associated with 
the NL NECP 2021-2030; and (3) has the EIB provided EFSI funding to projects and 
other activities that are associated with the NL NECP 2011-2020 ? 
 
  Remedy the situation by taking all appropriate action in order to bring the EIB’s funding 
activities into full compliance with international and EU law; 
 
  Inform the applicant herein about its decision in relation to the foregoing. 
 
Thank you in advance for your kind consideration. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
For and on behalf of Nederlandse Vereniging Omwonenden Windturbines (NLVOW) 
Hendrik R.A.L. Kranenburg, Chairman of the Board 
 
 
Commissioned 
Jan J. Tiemersma, Board member 
 
 
Annex 1 added in 4 attachments 
 
Request Letter from NLVOW to EU EIB December 10th 2021 

 

Annex 1 
To Letter “REQUEST FOR INTERNAL REVIEW” of December 10th 2021,  
Att. of the President of the European Investment Bank 
 
In 4 attachments: 
 
 
1.  The Applicant’s statutes of the organisation; 
 
Please see attached Statutes registered at Notariat mr. Martine Wouters at Veendam (NL) and 
registered at Dutch National Chamber of Commerce nr KVK 58814965 
 
 
 
2.  The Applicant’s Annual reports for two years prior to this request; 
 
Please see attached official notes of members yearly meetings over the years 2019 and 2020, 
together with financial reports over these years, accorded in said yearly meetings, 
And, 
Please see also list of activities reported in those yearly meetings, acknowledged in the open society 
and several governmental institutes, as presented in attachment 4 
 
 
 
3.  Evidence of the Applicant’s registration as a non‐profit organisation in The Netherlands 
 
Please see attached official copy of registration at the Dutch National Chamber of Commerce under 
number KVK 58814965 
 
 
 
4.  The Applicant’s technical background for making this request; 
 
Please see attached quotes on national relevance and lists of yearly activities