Environmental Policy in the EU: Actors, Institutions and Processes

The European Union (EU) has a hugely important effect on the way in which environmental policies are framed, designed and implemented in many parts of the world, but especially Europe. The new edition of this leading textbook provides a state-of-the-art analysis of the EU’s environmental policies. Comprising five parts, Environmental Policy in the EU covers the rapidly changing context in which EU environmental policies are made, the key actors who interact to co-produce them and the most salient dynamics of policy making, ranging from agenda setting and decision making, through to implementation and evaluation. Written by leading international experts, individual chapters examine how the EU is responding to a multitude of different challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, energy insecurity, and water and air pollution. They tease out the different ways in which the EU’s policies on these topics co-evolve with national and international environmental policies. In this systematically updated fourth edition, a wider array of learning features are employed to ensure that readers fully understand how EU environmental policies have developed over the last 50 years and how they are currently adapting to the rapidly evolving challenges of the twenty-first century, including the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an essential resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying environmental policy and politics, climate change, environmental law and EU politics more broadly. The Open Access versions of chapters 19 and 20, available at https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429402333, have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Table of Contents:
1. EU Environmental Policy: Contexts, Actors and Policy Dynamics PART 1: Contexts 2. The establishment of EU environmental policy 3. External EU environmental policy 4. Studying EU environmental policy PART 2: Actors 5. The Council, European Council and Member States 6. The European Commission 7. The Court of Justice of the European Union 8. The European Parliament 9. Interest Groups PART 3: Policy dynamics 10. Agenda setting 11. Policy making 12. Policy integration 13. Policy implementation 14. Policy evaluation 15. The EU in international environmental negotiations PART 4: New challenges 16. Is the EU still committed to developing more sustainably? 17. Governing with multiple policy instruments? 18. Making EU environmental policy more legitimate? 19. New policy dynamics in more uncertain times? PART 5: Conclusion 20. EU environmental policy at 50: retrospect and prospect

About the Author :
Andrew Jordan is Professor of Environmental Policy in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, UK. Viviane Gravey is Lecturer in European Politics in the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

Review :
"This book is so valuable. The next generation of politicians, business leaders and environmentalists need to understand the role of environmental policy, how it is made, and why it is so important for the future of humanity." -- Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries "This volume… is a true classic and one of the few ‘go to’ references on EU environmental policy. The editors mix perspectives in such way that the historical trajectory of EU policy making is connected to new challenges. This is a book that should be on everybody’s desk who has an interest in the topic." -- Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environment Agency "This rich and insightful volume should be considered essential reading by lawyers and political scientists alike. With contributions by leading experts… it provides a one-stop-shop for exploring the complex and evolving dynamics of EU environmental policy. Highly recommended!" -- Joanne Scott, Professor of European Law, European University Institute "An indispensable resource to anyone interested in understanding how environmental policy in Europe is now being made and implemented." -- David Vogel, University of California"This new edition … is a must read for students of EU environmental policy. It contains a wealth of new material as well as concrete illustrations of some of Europe’s flagship policy initiatives." -- Céline Charveriat, Executive Director, Institute for European Environmental Policy "If the students of today have read Jordan and Gravey’s latest Environmental Policy in the EU: Actors, Institutions and Processes, they will be thoroughly well prepared to become the policy-makers and policy-shapers of tomorrow." Paul Tobin, The University of Manchester, UK in Regulation and Governance (2022)