Implementation and Enforcement

Abstract

European Union (EU) environmental policy is intended to have particular outcomes. Achieving these outcomes requires EU environmental law to be implemented and enforced effectively in the member states. This is the final stage of the ‘loop’, which involves policy being conceived, drafted in legislative form, adopted as EU legislation, and implemented and enforced by the member states. It is only by observing the entire loop that the impact of policy decisions can be fully evaluated. No matter how appropriate the design and form of a legislative instrument may be, objectives will not be met unless EU environmental legislation is correctly implemented into national law, then applied and enforced effectively by the competent national authorities. This, in turn, can have profound implications for the design and content of EU environmental policy in the future.