9. The Assembly reiterates that the nature, content and implications of the right to a healthy environmenthave been widely documented for decades and have been the subject of a wealth of scientific, normative andjudicial material.

10. The Assembly welcomes the fact that almost all Council of Europe member States recognise the rightto a healthy environment in one form or another in their national legislation and that some systems havealready adopted an eco-centric view of this right.

11. In terms of governance, ecological transition will not take place without the buy-in of citizens because ofits far-reaching impact on lifestyles. In the Assembly’s view, this means that the future strategy must introduceconcrete and ambitious measures to promote social acceptance of environmental policies, ensuringmeaningful and fully-fledged citizen participation at national level.

12. In addition to compliance with environmental standards and policies, the Assembly encouragesmeasures aimed at strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable populations and ensuring theirinclusion without discrimination in the transition to a sustainable future.

13. The Assembly believes that greater responsiveness can be achieved through the development ofspecialised environmental teams in all branches of governance. This approach should also be encouraged inthe allocation of budgets to courts. For national parliaments to be involved in such developments andenvironmental policies in general entails that they too should have specialised bodies.

14. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on the Council of Europe member States to:

14.1. continue to reflect continuously at national level on the nature, content and implications of theright to a healthy environment so that, in the near future, this right will be recognised in law as anautonomous human right in each member State;

14.2. step up their efforts to promote, in all governance bodies, the legitimacy and added value of theCouncil of Europe playing a leading role in drawing up a binding legal instrument recognising anautonomous right to a healthy environment;

14.3. engage in innovative projects to transform environmental governance and in particular to:

14.3.1. encourage the introduction of effective citizen participation mechanisms at national level, such as citizens’ assemblies on climate, to promote social acceptance of environmental policies;

14.3.2. provide a framework, structure and support for local initiatives targeting the populations most vulnerable to environmental problems, such as programmes designed to mobilise young people from working-class backgrounds;

14.3.3. support the creation of specialised environmental teams in all branches of governance.

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