‘Greening’ the European Union? The Europeanisation of European Union environment policy
‘Greening’ the European Union? The Europeanisation of European Union environment policy
In Chapter Five, John O’Brennan argues that environmental problems are by their very nature potentially existential and traverse international border demarcations. In Europe, the consensus on collective action has grown over the last two decades as problems as diverse as substandard nuclear plants in Bulgaria and Slovakia and the lethal impact of toxic pollutants released into the River Danube have concentrated more and more attention on the need for a European-wide approach to multidimensional problems. The chapter examines the evolution of European Union (EU) policy in the areas of environment, energy and sustainable development through the lenses of path dependency and historical institutionalism. It argues that environmental policy has developed via a multitude of actors and through a sharing of competences within a multi-level system of governance. Although there remain some very significant challenges for Europe, the cumulative result has been an unprecedented pooling of sovereignty that has enabled the EU to learn and act collectively and forcefully in a vital area of global socio-economic activity.
Keywords: environment policy, European union, Europeanisation, climate change, politics, economy
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