Deregulation in the European Union: Environmental Perspectives (Routledge/EUI Studies in Environmental Policy)

In the European Union (EU), the past two decades have seen an immense growth in regulatory measures aimed at environmental protection. In recent years, this regulatory activity has come under increasing criticism. This has coincided with a more general disenchantment with regulation, resulting in a wave of 'deregulation' initiatives. These initially focused on privatization and market liberalization in various industries (economic deregulation), but subsequently have also been applied to environmental policy itself. While the term deregulation has become a real 'buzzword', in reality we are looking at a shift in regulatory focus rather than deregulation as such. Deregulation in the European Union looks at two separate, but related facets of deregulation. First, it examines the environmental implication of economic deregulation through case studies of the energy transport and water sectors. Secondly, it deals with options for deregulation in environmental policy, looking at self-regulation, negotiated agreements and environmental management systems. A number of other issues are also addressed such as the links between deregulation, environmental protection and competitiv and the importance of greater transparency and better availability of environmental information. Presenting evidence from a number of EU member states and Hungary, one of the most likely contenders for EU memebership, this book points at particular challenges facing the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Deregulation in the European Union reveals that from an environmental perspective, deregulation can be both an opportunity and a threat.