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What it is

Bill would give free legal aid to nonprofit environmental groups

Admitted step 2 of 7 · Unfinished

It is a members’ bill. Introduced by parliamentary groups, the Senate, regional governments or citizens. It was introduced on 21 June 2017. Introduced by: Grupo Parlamentario Confederal de Unidos Podemos-En Comú Podem-En Marea.

Official title: Private member's bill to reform Law 1/1996, of January 10, on free legal aid.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 122/000112· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The bill would add a new provision (letter j) to Article 2 of the Legal Aid Law. Nonprofit organizations whose purpose is protecting the environment would get free legal aid when defending environmental interests in court.
  2. That right would be recognized without requiring the organization to prove it lacks money to litigate or to hold public utility status. The explanatory statement says those two conditions currently leave many environmental groups out.
  3. The explanatory statement justifies the change because the United Nations Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee found Spain in breach of this obligation, and because there is a risk of Spain being condemned by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
  4. The law would take effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette, except for measures that increase spending or reduce budget revenues, which would wait until the next fiscal year.

Who it affects

  • Nonprofit associations and foundations that defend the environment: They would get free legal aid when litigating environmental matters, without proving lack of resources or public utility status.
  • Associations declared of public utility: They would no longer be excluded from free legal aid for having assets.
  • Small or local environmental groups: They could access free legal aid even without public utility status.

Words worth knowing

Asistencia jurídica gratuita (free legal aid)
The right to have a lawyer and court representative paid by the State when you cannot afford them.
Acción popular (popular action)
The ability to go to court to defend a collective interest, even if it does not affect you personally.
Utilidad pública (public utility status)
Official recognition that gives certain advantages to an association for pursuing goals of general interest.
Convenio de Aarhus (Aarhus Convention)
An international agreement guaranteeing access to information, participation and justice on environmental matters.
Proposición de ley (bill)
A text proposed by a parliamentary group to change a law; it is not an approved law until the whole process is complete.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 2 of 7 steps. It reached Admitted, and today it is unfinished.

  1. Introduced21 June 2017Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted27 June 2017The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendmentsnot reachedGroups propose changes.
  4. Committeenot reachedA committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenarynot reachedAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senatenot reachedThe Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOEnot reachedIt is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 6 official steps on a timeline
Dec 2017Dec 201811. 21 June 2017: Presentación22. 27 June 2017: Boletín Oficial de las Cortes Generales Publicación desde 27/06/2017 hasta 30/06/201733. 27 June 2017: Calificación44. 30 June 2017: Gobierno Contestación desde 30/06/2017 hasta 10/10/2017 Nota: (Mesa 10/10/2017 - concluida - decaída por comunicación disconformidad Gobierno).55. 4 September 2018: Pleno Toma en consideración desde 04/09/2018 hasta 05/03/2019 Nota: (Nuevo criterio del Gobierno 19/07/2018).66. 5 March 2019: Concluido - (Caducado) desde 05/03/2019 hasta 27/03/2019

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

The legislature ended before it finished. To go on, someone would have to introduce it again in the new Cortes.

It has not been presented again yet.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

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