H18: opponents resort to the European Court of Human Rights

The future of the La Chaux-de-Fonds eastern bypass via the H18 will be decided in Strasbourg. After suffering a setback at the Federal Court in September, opponents of the project sought the opinion of the European Court of Human Rights. Their lawyer Frédéric Hainard recalls that Switzerland was recently condemned for climate inaction by the ECHR. He also points out that the people refused the construction of new highways in November. Two reasons which push the opponents to a final fight against “this gigantic and far-fetched project”.

The former State Councilor recognizes that the chances of success at the ECHR “are extremely difficult to quantify because the assessment is very technical”. The processing time is also unknown. The lawyer nevertheless observes “that the 246 deputies in the Federal Chambers would never have imagined that Switzerland would be condemned for climate inaction. So this is based on technical and somewhat complicated criteria.”

Initially, an interim measure was requested from the ECHR “in order to prevent the start of the work”. This action will be followed by the filing of the appeal itself. Because for the moment, there is no suspensive effect. The Council of State hoped to put the structure into service in 2030. /sma-aju