Europe – Norway – In a judgment of 28 October 2025 (Application No. 34068/21 – Greenpeace Nordic and Others v. Norway), the European Court of Human Rights held that while States have an obligation under Article 8 of the Convention to protect individuals against serious adverse effects of climate change on their life and health, in the case concerning petroleum exploration licenses in the Barents Sea granted on 10 June 2016, Norway has established a procedural framework ensuring a comprehensive environmental impact assessment prior to any extraction, including greenhouse gas emissions, including those related to combustion abroad, and providing for public consultation. The Court noted that although the processes leading to the 2016 decision were not fully comprehensive, and in particular, the assessment of the climate-related impacts of the activity was deferred, there was no indication that a deferred assessment was in itself insufficient to support the State’s guarantees regarding the respect for private and family life under the Convention, the legislation providing for such an assessment prior to any field development. Under Norwegian law, prior to granting any authorization enabling the exploitation of petroleum fields, a full environmental assessment must be conducted based on the best available scientific data, including: the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions, including combustion-related emissions even abroad; an assessment of the activity’s compatibility with national and international climate commitments; and effective public consultation when all options remain open
HAVET & VANHUFFEL – Association d’avocats Case Background The case concerns the procedural aspect of the State’s duty to effectively protect individuals from serious adverse effects of climate change on their life, health, well-being, and quality of...
Belgique – Région wallonne – Dématérialisation des procédures de délivrance des permis en Région wallonne : les noms des Vingt communes pilotes sont connus. La phase pilote portant sur les permis dits publics commencera en avril 2026. La dématérialisation des permis communaux commencera quant à elle début 2027
HAVET & VANHUFFEL – Association d’avocats Suite à un appel aux communes pour la première phase pilote de dématérialisation, vingt communes ont été retenues sur base de critères objectifs garantissant une représentativité équilibrée des deux territoires...
Europe – The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled, in its judgment of 23 October 2025 (Case C-760/23), that Article 9(3) of Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency does not preclude national legislation under which the owner of an apartment in a condominium is required to pay the costs charged for thermal energy emitted by all the conduits and installations for the distribution and supply of thermal energy within the building — even where the stairwells and corridors of the building are not equipped with radiators — in proportion to the heated volume of that owner’s apartment, provided that the rules and parameters used to calculate the charges for the individual consumption of thermal energy for heating and domestic hot water ensure transparency and accuracy in the accounting of individual consumption
HAVET & VANHUFFEL – Association d’avocats The dispute opposes a Bulgarian district heating company and an individual regarding payment of invoices for thermal energy supplied in a condominium building connected to a district heating system. Relevant EU...