Approval of Environmental Protection Associations (EPAs)

Verified 09 June 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

The accreditation of environmental protection associations (EPAs) allows for the official recognition of associations that act in the general interest for the defense of the environment. This accreditation allows them to participate in public debates or defend their cases in court. We present you the information you need to know to understand the conditions of obtaining, the procedure and the effects of this approval.

Application for approval

An environmental protection association may be approved if it meets all of the following conditions:

  • Be declared (or, in Alsace-Moselle, entered in the register of associations) since at least 3 years
  • Work mainly for the protection of the environment, in particular in the field of nature protection and wildlife management, improving the living environment, protecting water, air, soil, sites and landscapes, urban planning, combating pollution and nuisance
  • To exercise, in these fields, an effective and public activity
  • Justify, in the light of the territorial framework of its activity, a sufficient number of contributing members either individually or through federated associations
  • Be not-for-profit and have selfless management
  • Demonstrate democratic functioning (regular and periodic democratic election of leaders, effective control over the management of the organization by the members of the association)
  • Demonstrate financial transparency (keeping of accounts, accounts accessible to members and administrations with which the association has a financial relationship).

The request is made at prefecture the department in which the association has its registered office.

General scenario
Who shall I contact
In Paris

It must be sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or be delivered directly to the prefecture against discharge.

The application for approval shall be drawn up by the president of the association in triplicate.

It shall contain the following documents:

  • Statutes of the association and rules and regulations if it exists
  • Address of the registered office of the association and postal address, if different
  • Indication of the national, regional or departmental framework for which approval is sought (which depends on the geographical scope within which the association actually carries out its activity)
  • Copy of the witness for publication at JOAFE: titleContent of the declaration of the association
  • Name, occupation, domicile and nationality of the persons responsible for the administration of the association.

The file must also include, for the previous 3 years, the following documents:

  • Note setting out the activity of the association, the geographical scope in which it operates and any other information capable of establishing that it has actually and publicly worked as a principal for the protection of the environment during that period
  • Minutes of General Meetings
  • Activity report, income and balance sheet accounts and their annexes approved by each general meeting
  • Amount of membership fees, product of membership fees, number and geographical distribution of members up-to-date of their membership fees counted at each general meeting, specifying the number of members, natural persons
  • Number of members, natural persons, contributing through federated associations
  • Dates of meetings of the Board of Directors.

If they are not included in the statutes or rules and regulations, the file must also include the following information for the previous 3 years:

  • Conditions allowing access to the accounts of the association by all its members
  • Deadline for communication allowing members to read in advance the documents on which they have to vote at the general meeting
  • Conditions for the conduct of votes at the General Meeting.

Approval is granted by the prefect of the department in which the association has its registered office when approval is requested in a departmental or regional context.

It is granted by the Minister responsible for the environment when approval is sought in a national framework.

Please note

Whatever the competent authority (prefect or minister) to issue the approval, the procedure must be completed within 6 months on the date of receipt of a complete file by the administration,

Failure to reply from the administration within a period of 6 months constitutes acceptance of your application for approval.

The approval decision shall state the reasons (i.e. the reasons why the approval is granted) and specify the geographical scope for which the approval is granted.

It is published in Official journal of the French Republic when it is taken at the national level or in the collection of administrative acts of the prefecture in other cases.

In the event of refusal of authorization, the decision must state the reasons on which it is based.

Approval is considered to be granted in the absence of a decision at the end of the 6 months following receipt of the application in the prefecture.

Approval shall be issued for 5 years.

He is renewable.

The renewal of the approval shall be addressed to the prefecture the department in which the association has its registered office.

General scenario
Who shall I contact
In Paris

The request must be made at least 6 months before the expiry date of the current approval.

The renewal dossier shall be drawn up by the president of the association in triplicate.

It shall contain the following documents:

  • Application for renewal specifying the national, regional or departmental framework for which the renewal of the accreditation is requested
  • Note presenting the evolution of the association over the past 5 years with regard to its activity, the geographical scope in which it operates and any other information that justifies the request for renewal.

FYI  

The renewal of the approval is considered as granted in the absence of a decision at the end of the 6 months following the receipt of the application in the prefecture.

In the event of refusal of approval, the association may challenge the decision taken by the administration.

Prior administrative appeal

As a first step, the association can file an administrative appeal with the authority that took the decision (prefecture or ministry in charge of the environment depending on the level of approval).

This remedy may take the form of:

  • an ex gratia appeal (addressed to the decision-maker)
  • or a hierarchical appeal (addressed to the higher authority)

The administration can then review the file.

Appeals to the administrative judge

If the refusal is upheld, the association may appeal the decision to the administrative court.

The judge shall check in particular:

  • compliance with the legal conditions for authorization
  • the regularity of the procedure
  • the assessment made by the administration on the file.

Time limit for appeal

The legal remedy must be exercised within a period of 2 months from the notification of the refusal decision.

After being approved

Each year, the accredited association shall send the following documents by post or electronic means to the authority which granted the accreditation:

  • Statutes and rules and regulations, if they have been modified since their last transmission
  • Address of the registered office of the association and postal address if they have changed since their last transmission
  • Name, occupation, domicile and nationality of the persons responsible for the administration of the association
  • Activity report, income and balance sheet accounts and their annexes approved by the General Shareholders’ Meeting and the minutes of this Meeting
  • Minutes of the last ordinary general meeting and of any extraordinary general meeting
  • Amounts of membership fees, proceeds of membership fees, number and geographical distribution of members up-to-date of their membership fees, counted at the general meeting, specifying the number of members, natural persons
  • Number of members, natural persons, contributing through federated associations, if applicable
  • Dates of meetings of the Board of Directors.

Participation in environmental debates

Approved environmental protection associations participate in the work of public bodies concerning the environment.

They may be nominated to participate in the following national and regional consultative forums to review environmental and sustainable development policies. In particular:

  • National Council for Ecological Transition
  • High Committee for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety
  • National Council for the Sea and Coasts
  • High Council for Energy
  • Higher Council for the Prevention of Technological Risks
  • National Biodiversity Committee
  • National Food Council.

Action before administrative courts

An approved environmental protection association may challenge, before the administrative courts, a decision of the administration after the date of its approval which has the following characteristics:

  • The administrative decision is directly related to the object and activities of the association
  • It causes damage to the environment in all or part of the association's territory of intervention.

Defense of collective interests

An approved association may be constitute a civil party. This applies to acts which cause direct or indirect damage to the collective interests it defends and which constitute a offense the legal and regulatory provisions applicable in the following areas:

  • Protection of nature and the environment
  • Improvement of the living environment
  • Protection of water, air, soil, sites and landscapes
  • Urban planning
  • Sea fishing
  • Fight against pollution and nuisances
  • Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
  • Misleading marketing practices and advertising (where such practices and advertising include environmental claims).

Group action

An accredited association may carry out a group action. That is, it may apply to a civil or administrative court for the cessation of an offense and/or for compensation for bodily and material damage suffered by a group of persons in a similar situation.

Such damage must result from damage to the environment by the same person and, must have for common cause a breach of the legal and regulatory provisions applicable in the following areas:

  • Protection of nature and the environment
  • Improvement of the living environment
  • Protection of water, air, soil, sites and landscapes
  • Urban planning
  • Sea fishing
  • Fight against pollution and nuisances
  • Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
  • Misleading marketing practices and advertising (where such practices and advertising include environmental claims).

Defense of individual interests

Any recognized association, mandated by at least 2 natural persons who are victims of damage caused by the same person and have a common origin, can go to court on their behalf to claim damages.

The damage suffered by natural persons must result from a breach of the legal and regulatory provisions applicable in the following areas:

  • Protection of nature and the environment
  • Improvement of the living environment
  • Protection of water, air, soil, sites and landscapes
  • Urban planning
  • Sea fishing
  • Fight against pollution and nuisances
  • Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
  • Misleading marketing practices and advertising (where such practices and advertising include environmental claims).

Right of citizens' initiative

Approved environmental protection associations, concerned by a project (avoiding pollution) have the possibility, if they obtain a certain number of votes from citizens, to ask the prefect for a dialog on this subject.

The aim is to have rules in place that would protect the interests concerned (health of the population).

Officials of the association may voluntarily waive the approval if they consider that it is no longer necessary. This decision may also be taken if it appears that the conditions for approval are no longer met.

This decision must be communicated to the prefecture that granted the approval, often via a formal request for waiver.

Yes, the approval may be withdrawn in any of the following circumstances:

  • The association no longer complies with the conditions that allowed it to obtain approval, such as maintaining its main purpose dedicated to environmental protection
  • The association has serious shortcomings in its administrative or financial management
  • The association no longer respects the law or acts contrary to the general interest.

Withdrawal of approval is not automatic and may take place after an investigation by the prefecture, which may request explanations from the association.

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