Environmental governance in the European Union: the dispersal of decision-making.

Abstract

Currently the European Union (EU) consists of fifteen member states that exhibit an array of political and constitutional systems, ranging from unitary to the fully federal. The United Kingdom (UK) is an example of a state which was formerly unitary in character. However, recently it has begun to decentralise decision-making by devolving powers, in a number of policy areas including the environment, to bodies in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions. Similar trends can be observed in other EU states. This panel sets out to record and assess the impact of the degree and process of decentralisation on environmental governance and focuses on the (changing) role(s) of and relations between state and non-state actors in environmental decision-making under such altered circumstances. The following questions are posed for the panel: Which state and non-state actors at the local/regional/national and EU level(s) have had a role in environmental policy-making process in a given member state or policy area (e.g. waste management)? Where decentralisation has occurred, to what extent, how and why have the roles of and relations between the state and non-state actors been affected? What does decentralised/dispersed environmental decision-making power imply for EU environmental governance? This panel invites applications from contributors who can offer comparative national and/or sectoral case studies (e.g. water, air, waste management, or biodiversity policy) that provide empirical evidence about the impact of decentralisation on environmental governance in the EU. Papers that reflect on the theoretical implications of dispersed environmental decision-making powers are also welcome.

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