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Environmental Protection Law
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:7.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:29:02
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | JF_402 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.00 | ECTS: | 3.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Law | Target Audience: | Juridical Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Aldona Kipāne | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 10 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 20 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 6 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 12 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 32 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 4 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 8 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 1 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 2 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 10 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Administrative Law, European Union Law. | ||||||||
| Objective: | Enable students to acquire knowledge of legal relationship between the human and the natural environment, to understand the role of ecological rights and general problems of legal protection of the natural environment, which are characteristic to certain sectors of national economy. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Liability for environmental damage. Sub-topics for seminars: • Basic conditions of liability for damage to soil (subterranean depths). • Basic conditions of liability for damage to waters. • Basic conditions of liability for damage to specially protected species (habitats). • Basic conditions of liability for losses caused by damage to forests. • Basic conditions of liability for losses caused by damage to game animals. | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 2 | Concept of environmental law. The nature of environmental law. Stages of development of environmental law. Sources of environmental law: Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, international treaties. Areas of legal protection of the environment. Methods of environmental law. Anthropocentric approach. Ecocentric approach. Competence of the state and local government authorities in environmental protection. Environmental policy instruments. Principles for the legal protection of the environment. | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Human rights to enabling environment. The obligation of the State to protect and improve the environment. The subjective right of a person to enabling environment. The content of the right to enabling environment: procedural and substantive law. The use of existing European human rights instruments to protect the environment. Procedural aspects of the rights to enabling environment: the right to environmental information, the right to participate in taking decisions related to the environment. | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Specific environmental law regimes. Sub-topics for seminars: • Nature reserves and their legal regime. • National parks and their legal regime. • Biosphere reserves and their legal regime. • Nature parks and their legal regime. • Natural monuments and their legal regime. • Restricted areas and their legal regime. • Protected landscape areas and their legal regime. • Marine protected areas and their legal regime. • Procedure for creating and maintaining protected areas. | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Public administration in the field of environmental protection. Sub-topics for seminars: • Functions of competence of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in the field of environmental protection. • Functions and competence of the State Environmental Service in the field of environmental protection. • Functions and competence of the Environmental Protection Agency in the field of environmental protection. • Functions and competence of the Environment protection. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 6 | Environmental protection and spatial planning. Spatial planning as a means of protecting the environment. Levels and principles of spatial planning. The right of the public to participate in the planning process. The concept and types of the spatial plan. Spatial planning as a restriction on the right to use real estate. Development, coordination, approval, entry into force, amendment procedures and monitoring of compliance of local government spatial plans. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Control and prevention of pollution. Waste management. Sub-topics for seminars: • Pollution control and prevention measures. • Control of pollution caused by industrial facilities. • Integrated pollution permits. • The concept and types of waste. • Waste management plans. • Contesting the permit for the waste management and the issue thereof. • Procedures for the selection and determination of the waste management site. • Waste recycling and disposal. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| Topic Layout (Part-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Liability for environmental damage. Sub-topics for seminars: • Basic conditions of liability for damage to soil (subterranean depths). • Basic conditions of liability for damage to waters. • Basic conditions of liability for damage to specially protected species (habitats). • Basic conditions of liability for losses caused by damage to forests. • Basic conditions of liability for losses caused by damage to game animals. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||||
| 2 | Concept of environmental law. The nature of environmental law. Stages of development of environmental law. Sources of environmental law: Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, international treaties. Areas of legal protection of the environment. Methods of environmental law. Anthropocentric approach. Ecocentric approach. Competence of the state and local government authorities in environmental protection. Environmental policy instruments. Principles for the legal protection of the environment. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Human rights to enabling environment. The obligation of the State to protect and improve the environment. The subjective right of a person to enabling environment. The content of the right to enabling environment: procedural and substantive law. The use of existing European human rights instruments to protect the environment. Procedural aspects of the rights to enabling environment: the right to environmental information, the right to participate in taking decisions related to the environment. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Specific environmental law regimes. Sub-topics for seminars: • Nature reserves and their legal regime. • National parks and their legal regime. • Biosphere reserves and their legal regime. • Nature parks and their legal regime. • Natural monuments and their legal regime. • Restricted areas and their legal regime. • Protected landscape areas and their legal regime. • Marine protected areas and their legal regime. • Procedure for creating and maintaining protected areas. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Public administration in the field of environmental protection. Sub-topics for seminars: • Functions of competence of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in the field of environmental protection. • Functions and competence of the State Environmental Service in the field of environmental protection. • Functions and competence of the Environmental Protection Agency in the field of environmental protection. • Functions and competence of the Environment protection. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||||
| 6 | Environmental protection and spatial planning. Spatial planning as a means of protecting the environment. Levels and principles of spatial planning. The right of the public to participate in the planning process. The concept and types of the spatial plan. Spatial planning as a restriction on the right to use real estate. Development, coordination, approval, entry into force, amendment procedures and monitoring of compliance of local government spatial plans. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Control and prevention of pollution. Waste management. Sub-topics for seminars: • Pollution control and prevention measures. • Control of pollution caused by industrial facilities. • Integrated pollution permits. • The concept and types of waste. • Waste management plans. • Contesting the permit for the waste management and the issue thereof. • Procedures for the selection and determination of the waste management site. • Waste recycling and disposal. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | The acquisition of the study material will be assessed by using the following forms of assessment: 1. participation in seminars with a presentation on the chosen topic (presentation of 7 – 10 minutes); 2. a reasoned essay on the subject chosen and presented (highlighting the problems in the relevant field and/or reflecting the case law). Topics for independent work: • Specific environmental law regimes. • Public administration in the field of environmental protection. • Liability for environmental damage. • Control and prevention of pollution. • Waste management. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Examination in the form of a test (topics discussed in lectures and within the framework of independent work). The assessment consists of the test results (on a 10-point grading scale) and assessment of independent work. If the independent work has not been completed or it has unsatisfactory assessment, one point shall be taken away from the test assessment (one point shall be deducted for each non-completed or unsatisfactory assignment). If the test assessment is better than the assessment of independent work, the final assessment shall be determined by considering the assessment for the test. If the assessment for independent work is better, the final assessment shall be determined by considering also the assessment of the independent assignments. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | On completion of the study course, students will have acquired knowledge of environmental policy tools and environmental protection principles, human rights to enabling environment, aspects of environmental protection, sustainable development and spatial planning and the assessment of the impact on the environment and its application. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Students acquire skills in environmental legislation through their independent work, and apply the laws and regulations to particular situations and interpret them. Understand the principles of environmental law and interrelationship in their application. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Students are able to use the acquired knowledge in the field of environmental law to independently solve legal cases and analyse legislative documents. Understand topical issues of environmental and spatial planning. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Meseršmits K., Meiere S., Ūsiņa E. Eiropas vides tiesības. Rīga, EuroFaculty, 2004. | ||||||||
| 2 | Ietekmes uz vidi novērtējums./ Autoru kolekt. – Rīga: Ietekmes uz vidi novērtējuma Valsts birojs, 2002. | ||||||||
| 3 | Strautmanis J. Vides ētika un vides tiesības. Rīga, 2003. | ||||||||
| 4 | Meņģele – Stillere L. Vides līgumi Eiropas Savienībā un Latvijā//Likums un Tiesības, 2006., Nr.4 (80), 112.- 119.lpp. | ||||||||
| 5 | Latvijas Republikas Satversme. | ||||||||
| 6 | Likums “Par pašvaldībām”. | ||||||||
| 7 | Vides aizsardzības likums. | ||||||||
| 8 | Atkritumu apsaimniekošanas likums. | ||||||||
| 9 | Būvniecības likums (vecais un jaunais). | ||||||||
| 10 | Teritorijas attīstības plānošanas likums. | ||||||||
| 11 | Informācijas atklātības likums. | ||||||||
| 12 | Sugu un biotopu aizsardzības likums. | ||||||||
| 13 | Likums „Par īpaši aizsargājamām dabas teritorijām”. | ||||||||
| 14 | Likums „Par piesārņojumu”. | ||||||||
| 15 | Ūdens apsaimniekošanas likums. | ||||||||
| 16 | Likums „Par ietekmes uz vidi novērtējumu”. | ||||||||
| 17 | Atbilstošie Satversmes tiesas spriedumi. | ||||||||
| 18 | Orhūsas konvencija par pieeju informācijai, sabiedrības dalību lēmumu pieņemšanā un iespēju griezties tiesu iestādēs saistībā ar vides jautājumiem. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Čepāne I., Meiere S. Patvaļīgā būvniecība, Satversme un vispārīgie tiesību principi // Latvijas Vēstnesis, Jurista vārds: 07.10.2003 Nr.36. | ||||||||
| 2 | Čepāne I., Statkus S. Pašvaldības teritorijas plānojums kā nekustamā īpašuma tiesību aprobežojums//Jurista Vārds, 25.01.2005, Nr. 3 (358), 1., 4.-6.lpp.; 01.02.2005., Nr.4 (359), 8.-14.lpp | ||||||||
| 3 | Čepāne I., Statkus S. Būvniecības procesā pieņemto lēmumu pārsūdzēšana un būvniecības kontroles mehānismu uzlabošana//Likums un Tiesības, 2005., Nr.10 (74), 302.- 311.lpp. | ||||||||
| 4 | Čepāne I. Sabiedrības tiesību aizsardzības efektivitāte teritorijas plānošanas lietās//Jurista Vārds, Nr.3, 2009. | ||||||||
| 5 | Meiere S. Sabiedrības iespējas ietekmēt publiskās varas lēmumu būvniecības un vides jomā//Elektroniskais žurnāls #1 “Būvniecība”, http://test.delna.lv/spriedumi, (12.07.2005.) | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | Kompetento institūciju mājaslapas. | ||||||||
| 2 | Tiesu prakses apkopojumi. | ||||||||
