Environmental Integration in the EU's External Relations: Beyond Multilateral Dimensions(Modern Studies in European Law)

The book examines the integration of environmental protection requirements into EU external relations focusing on unilateral, bilateral and inter-regional instruments, which have been less explored than the multilateral dimension of EU environmental policy. The book also explores for the first time the complex interplay and mutual influences between EU environmental integration initiatives and environmental multilateralism. On the one hand it identifies the legal and other instruments used by the EU to support the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements in third countries (particularly developing ones). On the other hand, it singles out the legal and other tools employed by the EU as a means to build partnerships with third countries in order to influence ongoing multilateral negotiations concerning the environment and sustainable development, or to contribute to the development of new international environmental norms in the absence of such multilateral negotiations. Ultimately, the book traces the significant evolution of the various tools deployed by the EU to integrate environmental concerns in its external relations, with a view to identifying emerging challenges and future directions.

Table of Contents:

1. The EU Legal and Policy Framework
1. Introduction
2. The EU as an International Actor in the Environmental Field
3. EU External Competence on Environmental Matters
4. The Environmental Integration Requirement
5. Environmental Integration in EU External Relations
6. Conclusions
2. Environmental Integration in Bilateral/Inter-regional Agreements
1. Introduction
2. Types of Agreements
3. Environmental Integration in Association as Prelude to EU Membership
4. Environmental Integration in Association as Substitute to EU Membership
5. Environmental Integration in Association as a Development Tool
6. Association as an Instrument of Inter-regional Cooperation
7. Other Agreements
8. Assessment and Conclusions
3. Environmental Integration in the Generalised System of Preferences
1. Introduction
2. Origins and History of the EU GSP
3. Environmental Integration in the Old EU GSP (2001–05)
4. Environmental Integration in the Current GSP (2005–11)
5. Assessment and Conclusions
4. Environmental Integration in External Assistance
1. Introduction
2. EU External Assistance: Instruments and Actors
3. Environmental Integration through Thematic Instruments
4. Environmental Integration through Geographic Instruments
5. Conclusions and Future Prospects
5. Environmental Integration in Institutionalised Dialogues
1. Introduction
2. Types and Objectives of Institutionalised Dialogues
3. An Overview of Practice
4. Thematic Dialogues: The Case of the Global Climate Change Alliance
5. Assessment and Conclusions
6. Environmental Integration through Sustainability Impact Assessments
1. Introduction
2. An Introduction to SIAs
3. An Overview of SIA Practice
4. Assessment and Conclusions
7. Supporting Environmental Multilateralism
1. Introduction
2. Supporting the Implementation of Existing MEAs
3. Building Alliances for Ongoing Multilateral Environmental Negotiations
4. Consensus Building in the Absence of Multilateral Environmental Negotiations
5. Assessment and Conclusions
Conclusions

Gracia Marín Durán is Lecturer in International Economic Law, University of Edinburgh School of Law.
Elisa Morgera is Lecturer in European Environmental Law, University of Edinburgh School of Law.

As a research tool, the book is highly recommended. It is thoroughly and carefully researched, filled with interesting and relevant examples, and approaches its subject with a broad brush. As such, it paints a useful and well-documented picture of the "state of the art" in environmental policy integration in the field of external relations
Jessica C. Lawrence

The principle of environmental integration is a popular topic in European Union (EU) environmental law research. In their new book, Gracia Marín Durán and Elisa Morgera approach this familiar theme from a novel perspective – that of EU external relations with an emphasis on bilateral and inter-regional dimensions. This focus makes the book of particular interest from the perspective of Transnational Environmental Law: the rich variety of examples in the book illustrate how transnational environmental cooperation increasingly takes place beyond multilateral environmental processes.
The amount of material that the authors have studied is truly impressive [and the] book's greatest strength lies in the amount of detail it provides. The concrete examples serve to illustrate the authors' main argument – that bilateral and inter-regional tools play an important role in environmental cooperation among states, and the authors also succeed in shedding light on the nature and function of such tools.

Overall, this well-researched book broadens the traditional focus from the EU's international legislation and MEAs towards other increasingly relevant forms of transnational environmental governance. As such, it provides a solid basis for a discussion of the broader implications of this trend, including its multifaceted legitimacy implications.