The main tasks in adapting EU environmental law to the requirements of the second pillar of the Aarhus Convention – public participation in certain decision procedures relevant to the environment – involved revising Council Directive 85/337/E on environmental audits of certain public and private projects, and Council Directive 96/61/E on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC Directive).

Directive 2003/35/EG on public participation in drawing up certain plans and programmes relevant to the environment, amending Council Directives 85/337/E and 96/61/EG with respect to public participation and access to justice, came into force (also after the completion of an arbitration procedure in December 2002) on 25 June 2003. The deadline for transposing the Directive into national law was 25 June 2005.

Public participation in drawing up certain plans relevant to the environment that are required by existing Directives is also placed on a firm footing by the new Directive. Directive 2001/42/EG on assessing the environmental impact of certain plans and programmes (SEA, Strategic Environmental Assessment) was passed as early as 2001; it also provides for public consultation in drawing up plans and programmes.

In Austria Directive 2003/35/EG was transposed into national law with the 2004 amendment to the Statute on Environmental Audits, in which the party status of environmental organizations was standardized; this contributes to public participation.