Handbook of European Environmental Law

This handbook proposes an introduction to the EU's Environmental Law and it is thus primarily intended for students, legal practitioners and environment-specialized engineers and other technicians. European environmental law remains strongly under the influence of its initial market-oriented legal framework in spite of the progress accomplished by the common environmental policy. Environmental governance and management operate within a complex primary law framework, within which conciliation must be made between economical and environmental objectives around such concepts as the quest for a high level of protection and sustainable development. A description of that decisive institutional framework provides the starting point for a synthetic and dynamic presentation of the hundreds of secondary law measures which provide parameters for human activities, from the main areas of natural environments to the objects impacting thereon, the means to implement them or economic instruments such as greenhouse gas emission allowances ou the producer's responsibility extended to the end-oflife of his products. As to the integration of environmental requirements into other policies, it resolves arising conflicts with market rules and sectorial policies, especially in the agricultural, transports, energy and health areas. This handbook includes a description of the impact of the Paris Agreement on climate change on EU law, including the two "legislative packages" and the new "Governance of the Energy Union" proposed by the Commission. Patrick Thieffry, avocat au Barreau de Paris and Attorney-at-Law (New York), now practices as an independent arbitrator in commercial disputes involving environmental and energyrelated issues. He holds a Ph.D. and masters in international economics and in international private and business law. He is an Associate Professor at the Sorbonne School of Law (Paris i Panthéon-Sorbonne University) where he lectures on various aspects of environmental law.