Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2015

• Date: 01 May 2016

46 ELR 10386 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW REPORTER 5-2016

Annual Review of Chinese

Environmental Law

Developments: 2015

by Mingqing You

Mingqing You is a researcher at the Gansu Provincial Legal Research Center of Circular Economy and Sustainable

Development, and an associate professor of law at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

The year 2015 was the rst year of implementing the

revised Environmental Protection Law (EPL) of

the People’s Republic of China.1 e Communist

Party of China (CPC) issued several important policies

on environmenta l protection, which have many implica-

tions for the implementation of the revised EPL and the

future development of environmental law. And the leg-

islature, the administrative branches of the government

(particularly those with responsibilities for environmental

protection), the procuratorate, and the courts a ll under-

took numerous measures.

In addition, 2015 was the last year of the 12th Five-Year

Plan and the year immediately preceding the 13th Five-

Year Plan. Most of the preliminary work for drafting the

13th Five-Year Plan took place in 2015. is Comment will

rst analyze major policies adopted by the CPC, then dis-

cuss the eorts of the legislature, administrative branches

of the government, the procuratorate, and the courts, and

nally the implications for the future.

1. Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (adopted

by the Standing Comm. Nat’l People’s Cong., Dec. 26, 1989, revised by

the Standing Comm. Nat’l People’s Cong., Apr. 24, 2014, eective Jan.

1, 2015) [hereinafter Revised EPL]. See also Mingqing You & Yan Wang,

, 45 ELR

10419 (May 2015); Mingqing You, -

-

, 45 H K L.J. 621 (2015).

I. Major Environmental Policy

Developments of the CPC

Being the leading political party, the CPC’s policies have

a dominant position in the formulation of governmen-

tal policies, law making, and law enforcement at both

the national and local levels. In past years, the CPC had

already adopted major policies related to the environment,

particularly in the 18th National Congress of the CPC2

and the third plenum of the 18th CPC Central Commit-

tee.3 e CPC adopted more specic policies in 2015 to

implement the policies previously adopted.

A. Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological

Progress

e CPC Central Committee and the State Council pub-

lished the Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological

Progress on September 21, 2015.4 e document proposes

to reform the legal regimes for environmental protection

and sustainable development in eight aspects.

2. H J, G S   CPC, F M  

P  S W C C  S  C-

  B   M P S  A R-

 (2012), available at http://www.china.org.cn/china/18th_cpc_con-

gress/2012-11/16/content_27137540.htm. See also Mingqing You & Jiaqi

Liu,   , 43

ELR 10418 (May 2013).

3. Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(CPC) on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the

Reform (adopted by the CPC Central Comm., Nov. 12, 2013), available at

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-11/15/c_118164235.htm (Chi-

nese). See also Mingqing You & Gengzheng Wang, 

, 44 ELR 10465 (June 2014).

4. Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological Progress (issued by the

CPC Central Committee and the State Council, Sept. 21, 2015, eective

Sept. 21, 2015), available at http://www.gov.cn/guowuyuan/2015-09/21/

content_2936327.htm (in Chinese) and http://english.gov.cn/policies/

latest_releases/2015/09/22/content_281475195492066.htm (in English)

[hereinafter Integrated Reform Plan].

        

       

       

          

        

       

        



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