III. Law and Environmental Governance in the EU

Abstract

In December 1999, in Helsinki, the European Council requested the Commission ‘to prepare a proposal for a long-term strategy dovetailing policies for economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development’. The Commission presented this proposal to the Gothenburg European Council in June 2001,1 resulting in the launch of the European Union's strategy for sustainable development.2 In keeping with the resolution that the annual spring European Council take on board responsibility for reviewing progress in developing and implementing the sustainable development strategy, and for offering further policy guidance to promote sustainable development, the Barcelona Presidency conclusions place emphasis upon the internal and external aspects of sustainable development, including the environmental dimension thereof.3 Looking at these documents,4 it is readily apparent that the political profile of sustainable development has been raised over the last year, with the European Council coming to play an important leadership function. Looking more closely at these, and other core documents, it is clear that the theme of environmental governance is very much to the fore, and that a number of strands emerge as crucial to European Union thinking in this respect. This short survey note will highlight a number of these strands, examining them within the framework of more general developments concerning ‘governance’ in the EU, and in particular in the light of the Commission's White Paper on governance issued in the summer of 2001.5 Four broad, and often overlapping, dimensions will be discussed in turn: integration, monitoring/evaluation, participation, and instruments for environmental protection.