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The power of environmental law – 30 years of European environmental law: developments and perspectives

Eckard Rehbinder

elni Review 2021, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.46850/elni.2021.011

Without claiming completeness, the paper first analyses major developments of European environmental law in the last period of about 30 years with respect to competences, coverage and structure, principles, strategies and instruments, major features and effectiveness. The overall assessment is moderately favourable as regards conventional environmental problems, but even from this narrow perspective, there also is some unfinished business. Then the paper broadens the perspective and addresses major challenges stemming from global and fundamental issues that European environmental law is confronting.

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