The Future of European Union Environmental Politics and Policy

The Future of European Union Environmental Politics and Policy investigates the trajectory of European Union (EU) environmental policy and reflects on how this hugely vital policy area of the EU has evolved over the decades.

Gathering together a selection of the leading scholars working on European environmental policy, the volume assesses the extent to which change has occurred in important dimensions of EU environmental policy research. These dimensions include the EU’s values and approaches; the provision of leadership; the possibilities of Brexit and the dismantling of policies; policy instruments and climate change; policy implementation and enforcement; and policy evaluation. The contributors situate their research in the context of current developments and conditions, including the global economic challenges and the rise of political challenges to both European governance and integration. Each chapter reviews the EU environmental policy over the long term and assesses the implications of current developments for the future health of European environmental policy, European integration and the environment itself.

The Future of European Union Environmental Politics and Policy will be of great interest to scholars of environmental politics, environmental governance and EU policy. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Environmental Politics.