EU environmental policy making

1
EU environmental policy making

• Arthur P.J. Mol
• Wageningen University

2
Reasons for international environmental policy
making

• 1.Environmental problems cross borders
• 2. Need for harmonisation of standards in a
  globalizing economy

3
Problems with international environmental policies

• Lack of powerful supranational institutions
• Formation of policies
• Implementation of policies
• Environmental vs. economic institutions

4
MEA versus WTO differences

• WTO
• No trade barriers, unless related to products
  (art XX)
• Organizational homogeneity
• Less transparentno access
• Legal conflict resolvement
• Science-based

• MEAs
• Trade provisions for environmental goals
• Organizational diversity
• TransparentNGO access
• Compliance via support
• Dealing with uncertainties precautionary
  principle

5
Regional economic/environment treaties

• ASEAN/APEC, MERCOSUR, etc poor integration
• NAFTA (USA, Canada, Mexico) ( FTAA?) some
  integration
• European Union (full integration)

6
EU special?

• EU supranational authority
• EU as global leader in global regimes
• E.g. in climate change, in greening WTO
• EU as major market proliferation
• China copies EU standards on cars, toxic
  substances in electronics, labels
• Thus interesting for
• EU as regional model for other regions?
• EU as example for up-scaling to global
  institutions?

7
EU 1957-2007
8
Diversity of member statesEnvironmental
pressure and technology
9
Diversity Ecolabels EU
Data2007
10
Does the state of environment influences quality
of life? (Eurobarometer, 2005)
11
European Union

• Supranational powers
• Differences with a state foreign policy,
  military force, economic policy
• Subsidiarity-principle
• Constant debate between intergovernmental and
  federal qualities
• Constant debate between widening and deepening

12
Institutions of the EU

• Council of ministers
• Commission
• European Parliament
• European Court of Justice
• (European Environmental Agency)

13
(European) Council

• European Council Heads of State
• Permanent President, instead of rotating
  Presidency (2 ½ year, external representation)
• Council of Ministers representatives of the MS
  at ministerial level
• Exercises legislation and budgetary functions,
  meets in different configurations, equal rotation
• Unanimity and Qualified majority voting (QMV)

14
European Commission

• 27 Commissioners
• Appointed every 5 years (six months after EP
  elections)
• Barroso commission (until 31/10/2009)
• 2014 Commissioners (equal to two-thirds of
  number MS)
• Equal rotation between member states
• President European Council proposes candidate to
  the EP.
• Main Roles
• Proposes legislation to EP and Council
• Manages and implements EU-policies
• Enforces European law
• Represents EU on the international stage

15
European Parliament

• 1979 MP directly elected (every 5 years)
• 785 MP from 27 countries (2014 750 seats)
• Three places of work
• Luxembourg administrative offices
• Plenary sessions Strasbourg, Brussels
• Committee meetings Brussel
• Main roles
• Passing European laws
• Democratic supervision
• The power of the purse

16
Decision-making in the EU

• Three different procedures
• Cooperation procedure EP gives its opinion on
  regulation EC can amend its proposal
• Assent procedure EP must give its assent to
  international agreements negotiated by EC or
  proposed enlargements
• Co-decision procedure (esp. since Maastricht) EP
  on equal footing with Council power to reject
  proposed legislation

17
(No Transcript)
18
Environmental policy-instruments of the EU

• Directives
• Regulations
• Environmental action programmes (6th 2002-2012)
• co-ordination of external policy (e.g. post-Kyoto
  negotiations oil pollution from shipping)
• Research programmes
• Cohesion funds

19
European environmental directives and regulations
20
Environmental policy in practice

• Many directives have an economic harmonisation
  background
• fragmented regulation
• formal implementation
• Leaders and laggards different forms of
  harmonisation (different speed, minimum harm.)
• Non-governmental involvement mainly via the
  national route, but Brussels-route gains
• consequences of accession stagnation?
• Implementation failures limited

21
Open infringements by sector (total), Jan 2004
22
Real non-conformity by sector and country, Jan.
2004
23
Percentage non-implemented EU directives (ENDS,
2004)
24
Enforcement European Commission
Waste Water
Nature Air
25
Conclusions

• From the outside EU a model for supranational
  env. governance
• Inside numerous problems and troubles
• Developments
• Expansion (more important than national levels)
• Innovation (new instruments)
• Implementation improvement
• (temporal) differentiation
• Will it become the global standard setter?