Our environmental specialists have long experience in providing advice to industry, the energy sector, and to governmental bodies and municipalities. A large part of our advice concerns permit applications for power plants, factories, mines, waste disposal plants, and infrastructure projects such as bridges and tunnels. In commercial transactions relating to such plants, we are part of a team specifically assembled for the transaction and our specialist advice relates to the environmental risk assessment aspect. When the firm carries out assignments for clients in the public sector, major infrastructure projects are often involved. On such projects, we work alongside the firm’s specialists in construction, procurement and financing. Together, we offer a concept which covers the project from start to finish.
EU law has given environmental law a further dimension. The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), which shall be implemented into Swedish law in January 2013, implies stricter rules regarding the application of Best Available Techniques. The MKB directive makes it risky to divide the permit applications into different phases. The environmental liability directive increases the circle of persons liable for remediation. REACH increases the level of demands for chemical users etc.
For us at Mannheimer Swartling, legal development in the environmental area is stimulating and challenging. We face increasingly complex rules and regulations with increased specialisation and co-operation between the offices and we are also monitor the legal development within the EU from our office in Brussels. Currently we have environmental specialists in Stockholm, Göteborg, Öresund, Brussels and Berlin. We are the only law firm in Sweden offering cutting edge expertise in every aspect of environmental law in the three major urbanized areas of the country.
Our environmental specialists advice the firm’s clients in matters regarding inter alia
• Regulatory issues – permits and notifications under the Swedish Environmental Code, permits under the laws of radiation protection, permit based on the EU regulation etc.
• Ongoing issues – supervisory issues, management of waste and by-products, access to chemicals (REACH), Corporate Social Responsibility, working environment etc.
• Issues related to transactions – environmental due diligence, contaminated land, future need for renewed permits etc.
• Issues regarding disputes and infringement – action for recourse regarding contaminated land, environmental damages, compensation for infringement, redemption and expropriation etc.
• Issues regarding EU environmental law and international environmental legislation in general – current and future EU legislation, action before the Court of justice of the European Union, international conventions etc.
• Issues related to energy – Climate Change, emissions trading, projects under the Kyoto Protocol (CDM/JI) etc.
• Issues regarding land use – building permits and other issues regarding the Planning and Building Act, notification under the Heritage Conservation Act, protection of territory and species, requisitioning of land etc.
• Compliance related issues – environmental crimes, working environmental crimes, environmental sanction charges, monetary penalties etc.
• Risk related issues – risk management, insurances etc.
Listings
Mannheimer Swartling’s environmental group is ranked number one in The Legal 500, 2011.
Mannheimer Swartling’s environmental group is ranked as leading in PLC 2010/11.