And…Who’s responsible? the relation and responsibility of state and corporate actors for human rights and environmental violations in hydrocarbon projects: Legal gaps and challenges under the international and european union law

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the legal responsibility of both states and private actors (such as corporations) for the impacts of hydrocarbon projects on human rights and the environment. Despite the importance of the hydrocarbon industry for the economic development of all states all around the worlds, still, their increasing production and use by private and public actors (the state and corporations) raises significant concerns for their relation and intersection with the protection of the environment and human rights, as their extraction activities cause more than often significant harm to the whole ecosystem, as well as, to the indigenous and local communities, in particular through violations of their fundamental human rights. This thesis tried to examine the legal responsibility of both states and corporations for this kind of impacts. Focusing on public and private actors, it analyzed both EU and international law, as to evaluate how these legal and regulatory frameworks address -or better fail to address- the challenges, risks and threats that are posed by hydrocarbon projects. Significant focus was given on the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, such as their right to have access to information and participation in environmental decision-making processes. The current thesis tried to identify gaps in the current legal and regulatory regime, such as limited access to justice and inadequate state responses to protests, concluding with some final thought and recommendations for enhancing accountability and aligning energy development with human rights and sustainable resource governance.