论环境民事公益诉讼的诉讼时效

Limitation of Action in Environmental Civil Public Interest Litigation

诉讼时效直接关涉赔偿环境损害的诉讼请求能否实现。在私益和公益诉讼并行的'二元诉讼结构'下,我国环境民事公益诉讼因缺乏环境权理论支撑,并在微观层面与《环境保护法》中既有规定产生概念相左、主体分化和客体异化的排斥效应,致使尚无与其公益特质相称的适当规定。诉讼时效作用于实体法上的请求权,然环境民事公益诉讼并不存在相对应的基础权利,为契合'二元诉讼结构',采用'公益诉讼请求权'概念,并代替私益诉讼中'知道或应当知道'作为时效起算标准。同时,考虑到权责相称、企业寿命的事实,最终确立环境民事公益诉讼的时效期间为'公益诉讼请求权产生之日起十年内,最长期限为损害行为终了之日起二十年;如遇有特殊情况,可以申请最高法院延长',以兼顾公益和私益间的平衡。

The limitation of action is directly related to whether the claim for compensation for environmental damage can be realized.On the basis of the dualistic litigation structure,the environmental civil public interest litigation in China lacks the basic theoretical support of environmental rights.And at the micro level,it is different from the relevant content in the existing provisions of the Environmental Protection Law,including some concepts,applicable subjects and objects.Therefore,there are no appropriate provisions in environmental civil public interest litigation that are commensurate with its public interest characteristics.The limitation of action affects the right of claim in substantive law.But there are no corresponding basic rights in environmental civil public interest litigation.In order to conform to the dual litigation structure,the concept of claim right in public interest litigation is adopted.This concept replaces the starting standard of'knowing or ought to know'in private interest litigation.At the same time,taking into account the fact that the rights and responsibilities are proportionate and the life span of enterprises,the limitation period of environmental civil public interest litigation shall be established as'within ten years from the date of the emergence of the right to claim for public interest litigation,and the longest period shall be twenty years from the date of the end of the act of damage;in case of special circumstances,it may apply to the Supreme Court for extension',which helps to maintain balance between public and private interests.