Environmental Policy Integration and Multi-level Governance

Objective

The integration of environmental issues into other policy areas (EPI) is widely recognised as key for sustainable development (SD). It is also the biggest challenge facing the environmental community, requiring not only a new approach to policymaking but also changes in policies and their implementation. However, the crosscutting nature of EPI does not easily fit with traditional hierarchical governance based on (nation) state authority, sectoral differentiation, and 'command and control' type instruments. It is therefore not surprising that measures to promote EPI frequently also rely on new modes of governance, such as voluntary, procedural, information, learning and market based instruments.

Efforts to achieve and improve EPI are currently being made at local/regional, national, European and global levels of governance, and within the private sector. Measures at different levels may affect each other, thereby improving or weakening EPI and SD. Indeed, the interlinkages between these different modes of governance and layers are emerging as a central challenge in the area of EPI. There is a rapidly growing body of literature analysing and discussing different EPI approaches and measures.

The CA aims to structure these findings and to identify avenues for future research by focussing on two main themes: First, is it possible to identify modes of governance, which are typically used to promote EPI at particular levels, eg. local/regional, national, EU, global? If so, which governance modes are typically used at which levels? And which are most effective or show most promise? Second, how do EPI measures at the different levels affect each other and how could governance be improved to increase synergies and minimise negative interaction effects across the levels? Assembling and discussing findings, which are relevant for these themes should ultimately facilitate progress in improving the implementation of EPI in the EU multi-level governance system.

Field of science

/social sciences/political science/political communication
/social sciences/other social sciences/social sciences interdisciplinary/sustainable development
/social sciences/sociology/governance

Programme(s)

FP6-CITIZENS - Citizens and Governance in a knowledge-based society: Thematic Priority 7 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research Programme 2002-2006.

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

FP6-2004-CITIZENS-5
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

CA - Coordination action

Coordinator

ECOLOGIC - INSTITUT FUER INTERNATIONALE UND EUROPAEISCHE UMWELTPOLITIK GGMBH

Address

Pfalzburger Strasse 43-44
Berlin
Germany