Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 1999, volume 17,4
pages 1 / 17
A Jordan 
CSERGE (Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglin, Norwich NR4 7TJ, England; e-mail: a.jordan@uca.ac.uk
Received 6 August 1998

"Editorial introduction: the construction of a multilevel environmental governance system"

Abstract. (click here) At its founding in 1957, the European Union (EU) had no environmental policy, no environmental bureaucracy, and no environmental laws. When, in 1973, the EU began systematically to address environmental concerns there was little expectation that the environment would develop into one of the largest areas of common activity. Twenty-five years on, the EU has some of the most progressive environmental policies of any state in the world although it is not itself a state. At the same time, the preexisting environmental policies of the member states have undergone a progressive change through their involvement in EU environmental policymaking. In other words, the member states have created an institutional entity to perform certain tasks which has in turn deeply affected the way they themselves perceive and act against environmental problems. This theme issue of Government and Policy offers a retrospective analysis of these developments. The purpose of this introductory essay is to describe the historical evolution of EU environmental policy and to identify the most salient themes.