Reading through the Council of the EU's negotiating position on speeding up environmental assessments, I can't help but laugh that member states want the power to set up "more than one single point of contact". EU simplification drive in full swing 😀
![It is in those circumstances that the High Court (Ireland) decided to stay the proceedings and to refer the following questions to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling:
‘(1) Does Article 11 of [the EIA Directive] read in the light of the principle of wide access to justice under Article 9(2) of the Aarhus Convention have the effect that, in a case where a project within the meaning of Article 1(2)(a) of [that directive] the subject of an application for development consent (the “primary consent”) cannot be carried out without the developer having first obtained another permission (the “secondary consent”), and where the authority competent for granting the primary consent for such a project retains the ability to assess the project's environmental impact more strictly than was done in the secondary consent, such a secondary consent (if granted prior to the primary consent) is to be treated as forming part of the development consent procedure for purposes other than in relation to the scope of matters to be considered or assessed under [the EIA Directive], either generally or where the secondary consent is a decision adopted under Article 16(1) of [the Habitats Directive] and which authorises a developer to derogate from the applicable species protection measures in order to carry out the project?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ze5ip5mbbyo2okqn3wifl3sk/bafkreiayesfd7e5wpyqeu6dx5btdunfykjb7gzb2lkaivni6wstrys54vi)
![prompt to ChatGPT reads: what is Dombrovskis quoted as saying
ChatGPT:
In the article, Valdis Dombrovskis is quoted as saying:
“We are not going to give up on this [the nature restoration law], but we are listening to concerns from member states and stakeholders. We need to find a balance between the environmental goals and the economic realities, including the concerns of farmers and industry.”
This reflects his stance on revisiting the law to address concerns raised by EU member states, particularly those with strong agricultural sectors, while emphasizing the EU’s commitment to environmental goals.
The article also notes that Dombrovskis recognizes the complexity of balancing ecological restoration with the economic and practical challenges that some industries and member states are facing, particularly in relation to land use and agricultural practices.
Would you like more details on how these discussions are developing?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ze5ip5mbbyo2okqn3wifl3sk/bafkreihlcx2ka5s2r23tgwla4l5fevm5saggea73tb5ckgj7z5uphfw45a)
![Text reads: "Thickets of red tape that, for all the Tories talked a good game, was [sic] allowed to spread through the British economy like Japanese knotweed."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ze5ip5mbbyo2okqn3wifl3sk/bafkreigiynr3ura4s6skbtizkqxyeexynwvdxpuspk3pbqdlc3oatiuwea)
