European Union Environmental Policy after the Nice Summit

This chapter addresses the European Union (EU) as a preeminent example of a regional organization and its role in international environmental law. It first examines the progressive affirmation of EU competence in the environmental field and its development of a distinctive environmental policy. The chapter then turns to the external dimension of EU environmental competence, discussing the EU's participation in and enforcement of international environmental law, as well as the general question of whether the EU can be said to have an external environmental policy. The EU internal environmental policy expands on the international stage. Even if it lacks the internal structures and resources fully and effectively to assume a role as a global environmental leader, the EU participates in environmental negotiations, concludes and implements international treaties, and exercises its ‘soft power’ to promote the development and implementation of international environmental law. The chapter concludes with some brief reflections on other regional organizations and their distinctions from the largely sui generis EU example.

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13. Environmental Policy

Policy-Making in the European Union ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198807605.003.0013 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 297-320

Author(s):

Andrea Lenschow

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Environmental Policy ◽

Interest Groups ◽

Policy Making ◽

Policy Coordination ◽

Historical Evolution ◽

The European Union ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Environmental Interest Groups ◽

The Eu

This chapter focuses on the European Union’s environmental policy, the development of which was characterized by institutional deepening and the substantial expansion of environmental issues covered by EU decisions and regulations. Environmental policy presents a host of challenges for policy-makers, including the choice of appropriate instruments, improvement of implementation performance, and better policy coordination at all levels of policy-making. The chapter points to the continuing adaptations that have been made in these areas. It first considers the historical evolution of environmental policy in the EU before discussing the main actors in EU environmental policy-making, namely: the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and environmental interest groups. The chapter also looks at the EU as an international actor.

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15. Water Pollution

Environmental Law ◽

10.1093/he/9780198811077.003.0015 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 464-516 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth Fisher ◽

Bettina Lange ◽

Eloise Scotford

Keyword(s):

Water Pollution ◽

European Union ◽

Environmental Policy ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Coastal Areas ◽

Legal Rules ◽

Water Courses ◽

Control Regime ◽

Integrated Pollution Control

This chapter critically examines English, as well as selected European Union, laws that regulate the interlinked environmental challenges of protecting the quality and quantity of water courses. It deals with legal rules seeking to prevent and limit the pollution of rivers and other inland surface waters, such as lakes, as well as coastal areas and groundwater. One of the key challenges for water pollution law is to evolve into a more holistic, coherent, and integrated pollution control regime. In discussing this challenge, the chapter refers to and critiques recent interesting attempts to develop environmental policy discourses of bioregionalism and ecofederalism, that is, attempts to map regulatory space onto ‘natural’ spaces.

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