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The environmental governance team covers strategic questions and examines the mechanics and processes behind the formulation and implementation of environmental policies. Our work is spread across a wide, often cross-cutting, range of issues. Key tasks include monitoring current developments in EU environmental policy, including the role of the budget, assessing environmental policy integration and policy coherence, conducting impact assessment and policy evaluation studies, evaluating policy implementation and enforcement, and looking at the global dimension of European environmental policy.

At its founding in 1957, the then European Economic Community (EEC) did not have an environmental dimension. Today the EU has some of the most progressive environmental policies in the world. EU legislation has played a vital role in improving habitat and species protection and river management, and has contributed to dramatic improvements in air and water quality and waste management. Although significant challenges remain, it is widely acknowledged that EU policy has successfully reduced a number of pressures on the environment and stimulated investment in more sustainable economic growth.

The EU has developed a ‘tool box’ of policy instruments, approaches and strategies with which to pursue its environmental objectives. It has also adopted a number of cross-cutting strategies and approaches to policy making to provide the overarching context for environmental decision-making. These are seen to be increasingly significant to the environmental debate in Europe.

Over the years the EU has taken on a growing leadership role in the global context.

More about our work in this area...

Latest in Governance

Benefit Assessment Manual for Policy Makers: Assessment of Social and Economic Benefits of Enhanced Environmental Protection in the ENPI countries

This benefit Assessment Manual, originally for internal use, has been turned into a Benefit Assessment Manual for policy makers and experts for wider dissemination and provides an understanding of the methodologies applied for the country benefit assessments.
Analysis for European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Countries and the Russian Federation on social and economic benefits of enhanced environmental protection – Egypt Country Report

There are considerable benefits from taking immediate action to address the environmental problems facing Egypt, including in the area of air pollution, water quality and infrastructures and waste management, and safeguarding its natural heritage.
Regional Synthesis Report: ENPI South - Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, occupied Palestinian territory, Syria and Tunisia

Investing in improving environmental standards in the ENPI South countries would offer huge benefits in terms of cost savings, improved security (food, water, energy and climate), and improved quality of life.
Regional Synthesis Report: ENPI East – Synthesis report on: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine

Investing in improving environmental standards in the ENPI East countries would offer huge benefits in terms of cost savings, improved security (food, water, energy and climate), and improved quality of life.
Consolidated report: Qualitative analysis key results and policy implications

There are still needs and opportunities for using sustainability indicators at different stages of the policy processes across all environmentally relevant policy areas.
Opportunities for a better use of indicators in policy-making

There remain a wide range of opportunities for making use of sustainability indicators at different stages of the policy process across all environmentally relevant policy areas.
Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development. Role of non-Cohesion Policy Instruments, Supporting Paper 3

This is the report on the role of non-Cohesion Policy Instruments as part of the project Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development on how to improve the integration of the environment into the Cohesion Policy period 2014-2020 as part of a study commissioned by DG Regio.
Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development. Case Studies, Supporting Paper 4

This is the case study report of the project Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development on how to improve the integration of the environment into the Cohesion Policy period 2014-2020 as part of a study commissioned by DG Regio.
Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development. Policy Instruments, Supporting Paper 5

This is the report on policy instruments for the project Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development on how to improve the integration of the environment into the Cohesion Policy period 2014-2020 as part of a study commissioned by DG Regio.
Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development. Literature Review, Supporting Paper 1

This is the literature review report of the project Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development on how to improve the integration of the environment into the Cohesion Policy period 2014-2020 as part of a study commissioned by DG Regio.
Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development. Cohesion Policy Performance, Supporting Paper 2

This is the report on Cohesion Policy Performance as part of the project Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development on how to improve the integration of the environment into the Cohesion Policy period 2014-2020 as part of a study commissioned by DG Regio.
Cohesion Policy and Sustainable Development

Cohesion Policy is currently missing important opportunities to promote environmentally sustainable economic development in European regions. The study identifies ways of improving investment patterns and governance mechanisms to foster environmental and economic wins.
Walking the talk - practical options for making the 2014-2020 EU MFF deliver on climate change

This report analyses the opportunities and weaknesses of Commission proposals on the future Cohesion Policy and the Connecting Europe Facility to ensure the effective mainstreaming of climate change concerns.
Unfolding the green ‘elements’ of the Commission’s Common Strategic Framework 2014-2020

This policy brief analyses the Commission’s staff working document on the Common Strategic Framework for the 2014-2020 EU cohesion, rural development and fisheries funds. It discusses both the opportunities and weaknesses to advance the mainstreaming of climate change and the environment into the funds.
The new OECD environmental Outlook – an alarm signal that comes at the right moment

“Urgent action is needed now to avoid significant costs of inaction, both in economic and human terms”. The OECD provides a clear message in its recent Environment Outlook to 2050: Act now – or face major and potentially disastrous consequences.
Green Infrastructure Implementation and Efficiency

This IEEP-led study for the European Commission (DG ENV) improves the knowledge base on green infrastructure policy initiatives in Europe and assesses their implementation and efficiency. It also formulates policy recommendations for integrating green infrastructure into the EU policy framework.
Criteria for maximising the European added value of EU budget: the case of climate change

This report revisits approaches to defining European added value as a key concept to help the identification of spending priorities under the 2014-2020 EU budget. It puts forward a set of operational criteria for European added value to aid the design of future EU funding instruments, implementation programmes and project selection processes in relation to EU’s ambitions to tackle climate change.
Value of ecosystem services – putting the ‘green’ into green economy

Presentation by Marianne Kettunen of IEEP on the value of ecosystem services in the context of green economy at Nordic conference on Green Growth, in Oslo, Finland March 2012.
Practical options for climate change mainstreaming in the 2014-2020 EU budget

On 1 February 2012, IEEP organised a policy dialogue workshop on ‘Practical options for climate change mainstreaming in the 2014-2020 EU budget’.
EU Budget Reform: Pathways to Greening the Future EU Cohesion Policy

IEEP in cooperation with the Institute for European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel held an environmental policy forum on the 6th of February dedicated to the reform of the 2014-2020 EU Cohesion Policy.

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Highlights

Strategies and Instruments for Climate Proofing the EU Budget

This report advances the conceptual understanding of the concept of climate proofing the EU budget and offers ways to operationalise it in the debate on the post-2013 Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF).