European environmental law

This chapter explores the development of EU environmental law with a view to stressing its unique characteristics, and their relevance, from an international environmental law perspective. After outlining the objectives of Union action in the area of environmental protection and the division of competences, the chapter focuses on how a key component of EU environmental law, the environmental integration principle, has affected other EU policy areas of relevance from an international perspective: the EU Common Agricultural Policy and the management of Europe’s regional seas. The conclusions reflect on the extent to which the strengths and weaknesses of the Union’s approach to integrated environmental management allow for mutual learning in an international context, including with regard to matters at the intersection of international human rights and environmental law.