Administrative Law / Droit administratif
2008
Portugal
Lawyer
Various pieces of legislation were adopted in Portugal in 2008 with special reference to the field of Public Law, including the Environmental Liability Law (Decree-Law No. 147/2008, of 29 July). The Environmental Liability Law establishes a dual form of environmental protection, i.e., through civil and administrative liability. In doing so, the Environmental Liability Law not only transposes into national law Directive No. 2004/35/EC, but also establishes a uniform and coherent legal regime that combines traditional civil liability with administrative liability, thereby making it possible to attach liability not only upon those who offend individual rights, but also upon those who damage the environment itself. For all these reasons, it is one of the most important pieces of legislation published in Portugal in the last few years, representing a milestone in the effective legal protection of the environment.
