Enforcing European Union Environmental Law

Without their proper enforcement, governmental commitments to improving the state of the environment are prone to remain but 'greenspeak'. The European Union has developed a raft of legislation intended to enhance standards to protect the environment. This book provides an overview of the current legal principles of the European Union on how EU environmental law may be enforced. It examines the subject of EU environmental law enforcement by providing a detailed account of the various legal arrangements that may be used for the purpose of upholding EU environmental norms and critically assesses the practical impact of those arrangements. In particular, issues of efficacy and accountability are analysed in detail. Spanning three parts, the book focuses on the principal modes of EU environmental law enforcement: namely, the role of the European Commission, possibilities for private law enforcement and the role of national authorities. This is the first book to examine EU environmental law enforcement in such a comprehensive manner. It provides a useful reference resource for scholars and practitioners in the area and encourages legal and political debate on the subject at many levels.