The EJUC project empowers communities and stakeholders to advance environmental justice and ensure environmental policies respect the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Environmental injustice remains a pervasive and under-addressed issue across Europe. Marginalised and racialised communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental risks, including pollution, noise, limited green spaces, and unequal access to essential public services such as waste collection and sanitation.
While the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights mandates a high level of environmental protection, EU law does not yet guarantee a general right to a healthy environment. At the same time, there are insufficient safeguards to prevent marginalised groups from bearing an unequal environmental burden, raising concerns under Article 21 of the Charter, which prohibits discrimination.
The project aims to strengthen understanding and capacity among key stakeholders to ensure that environmental policies and legislation at EU and national level are aligned with the Charter and applied in practice. It seeks to close the gap between environmental and human rights frameworks and ensure that fundamental rights are placed at the core of environmental decision-making and implementation.
Our activities
EJUC combines research, community action and advocacy to advance environmental justice and fundamental rights in Europe.
Evidence and research
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Pilot environmental justice maps to identify where environmental harm and inequality overlap
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Structured interviews with affected communities, public authorities and equality bodies to understand needs, barriers and awareness of environmental justice
Strengthening fundamental rights bodies
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Capacity building for equality bodies and other fundamental rights institutions so they can better recognise and address environmental injustice
International peer learning
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Exchanges with environmental justice experts from the United States to share lessons, strategies and legal approaches
Advocacy and legal actions
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Policy recommendations and EU-level advocacy for stronger environmental justice protections and mapping tools
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Exploring legal avenues, including strategic litigation and complaints, to establish precedents and ensure public authorities uphold fundamental rights
Community empowerment
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Capacity-building for marginalised communities to strengthen knowledge of environmental and human rights, support reporting of environmental harms and enable direct dialogue with authorities.
Where we work
The project will work across France, Spain, Romania and Hungary, while also engaging at the EU level.
Our partners
Project coordinator
Research coordinator:
National partners:
Duration
September 2025 - August 2027
Donor
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
(Grant agreement number 101214321, CERV-2024-CHAR-LITI)