Some legal issues on compensation for environmental damage under Vietnamese law and the law of the European Union

Tran Cong Thiet

University of Warsaw , Norway
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1504-7122

Vu Thi Duyen Thuy

Hanoi Law University , Viet Nam
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0491-9183


Abstract

In recent years, the law on environmental damage compensation has been a burning issue in many countries around the world, especially in developing nations where the dilemma concerns the balance between economic development and environmental protection. The issue of liability for environmental damage can be considered from many perspectives, and the focus of this study will be civil liability compensation. Learning and studying the regulations of developed countries like the European Union plays an important role in the development and improvement of environmental laws in general and the law on environmental compensation in particular for Vietnam. In this article, the authors provide insights on some legal provisions on compensation for environmental damage based on comparison with the laws of the European Union to determine how to develop legal regulations in the field of environmental damage compensation. This creates a foundation that contributes to the introduction of solutions to improve the efficiency of the law on environmental damage compensation in Vietnam.

Keywords:

environmental damage, environmental damage compensation, EU directive on compensation, the indemnifiers, Environmental insurance



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Published
2021-09-28


Thiet, T. C., & Duyen Thuy, V. T. (2021). Some legal issues on compensation for environmental damage under Vietnamese law and the law of the European Union. Studia Prawnicze KUL, (3), 277–306. https://doi.org/10.31743/sp.10660

Vu Thi Duyen Thuy 
Hanoi Law University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0491-9183



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