British Environmental Policy to the Influence of the EU - Essay Example

?Running Head: British environmental policy adjusted to the influence of the EU British environmental policy adjusted to the influence of the EU of student] [Title of course] British environmental policy adjusted to the influence of the EU Overview The aim of this paper is to analyze what the effects and mechanisms of Europeanization in relation to the British environmental policy. The definition that is chosen here is relatively broad and includes performances from both the European Union unequivocally (mainly from the Commission in exercising its power of legislative initiative). (McCormick, John, 2008) As all that, even if not started by Brussels (or because they respond to proposals from other organizations such as the OECD or the UN, or because they are measures applied by third countries, or unilaterally, by member-states who want to move faster in protecting the environment). End up being taken (in the form of regulations, directives, recommendations, programs or strategies) for this international regime. Thus, the concept embraces here so what the literature generally defines Europeanization (or the EU's growing impact on the behaviour of actors, institutional functioning, legal and political process of the EU countries). In addition, what this excludes and has been called "domestication" (projection of the preferred policy approaches by countries to the European level) (Jordan, 2000a: 1) or "horizontal transmission and indirectly" in the sense that certain EU member states to use "export" its priorities and environmental objectives to other countries ((McCormick, John, 2008)). Once the concept is passed, secondly, to analyze the mechanisms through which Europeanization operates, noting that harmonization is the mechanism par excellence when it comes to understanding why environmental policy has been Europeanized. Subsequently, there are three dimensions within this policy. The Europeanization of substantive dimensions, institutional and environmental policy style The Europeanization of the content or substantive dimension of environmental policy is very clear as to the incorporation into national legislation (through the mechanism of transposition of directives mainly) standards and of principles or mechanisms that contribute to achieving the objectives set by the regulations. The polluter pays principle is reflected for example in water legislation, which includes fees for both direct and indirect discharges, while voluntary agreements that deviate from the classical regulatory mechanism (command-and- control), have been applied in various fields of waste management policy. A different theme is, of course, the compliance (enforcement) of legislation, and that not all fees apply CC.AA nor all of them have been collected, with the same intensity, economic and fiscal mechanisms in their regulations. On the other hand, other instruments, such as voluntary agreements between governments and companies are still relatively minor and have not developed systematically or in law or in practice. (Cini, Michele and Nieves Perez-Solorzano Borragan (eds) 2009) However, examples of Europeanization of the substantive dimension is infinite ranging from the reference; that the first draft of the National Hydrological Plan (the developed by the socialist government in 1993) was a directive 91/271 to introduce the requirement to protect water quality, to the approval of the tax on waste oils (ministerial order of 02/28/1989) reflecting the directives 75/439 and 87/101.Through the objectives of increased energy use renewable has set the Ministry of Industry and Energy (MINER) in its latest National Energy Plan. Following the fifth Environmental Action Programme of the EU, or the introduction of the so-called strategic environmental impact assessment on the part of certain regional governments. Overall, in terms of content in UK, there has been Europeanization of national environmental policy due to the need to transpose a large number of directives after the entry into the Community in 1986 (Directives also filled an important gap to be national legislation on the subject very poorly developed), while the domestication of EU policy has been much smaller, limited to the negotiating efforts have occurred primarily in water policy and conservation. British environmental policy With respect to the British environmental policy, so that the successive changes in the organizational structure of state who have been leading to a gradual concentration of powers in bodies which they gained a higher administrative level to lead to the creation of the Ministry of Environment (MIMAM) in 1996 have largely responded to the recommendations of the commission as to the need to reduce the dispersion of powers in this policy. (Cini, Michele and Nieves Perez-Solorzano Borragan (eds) 2009). Also, and mainly as a result of the increased visibility that this policy has been following the accession to the Community, have created special commissions to the environment in Senate, while that to improve the performance of protection Environment, was established in 1987, the Environment Sector Conference, which brings together the heads of central government and autonomous. Another forum for coordination, which is organized according to the recommendations of the Commission, which is since 1995 under the direction of the Secretary of State for Foreign and EU Policy, violations of environmental policies (in Font, 2001). Two years later he also established the Network of Environmental Authorities, which also sponsored by the Commission pursues intergovernmental perspective, integrating the environmental component in the projects financed with European funds (Information on the Environment, May 2000). Although there is some Europeanization of the institutional dimension, the entry into the EU has reinforced existing asymmetries in the system of intergovernmental relations, to consecrate the negotiating guidelines and results than the same depending on whether historical or Autonomous Regions no (Molina, 2001). At the same time, although progress has been made with regard to coordination of environmental policy both at national and regional levels are still relatively frequent jurisdictional disputes between the two levels (as evidenced by the action that had some regional governments before the Court Constitutional relationship with the ownership of the management of national parks; and resolved with a sentence of 1995 that embodied the shared management of the same) and some dispersion of powers and lack of institutional coordination. As to the style dimension, finally, you can still keep saying that while "it would be absurd to deny that the environmental policy of the member states are experiencing some kind of convergence (the process) should not be exaggerated because the systems national politicians have not been affected in relation to most of its institutional arrangements and still maintain their own dynamic "( Jordan, A. J. 2001). In the Britain case, the style of environmental policy still retains important features of static and poor cooperation between the public and private actors, but, nevertheless, has been building gradually for a closer relationship between interest groups and authorities to solutions while "tax", which includes legislation, solutions are complemented by economic-fiscal and voluntary. Deficits have been mainly the UK environment repeatedly criticized by the European Commission, and the importance that Brussels is attached to the principle of shared responsibility, which have facilitated the emergence of environmental agreements (or agreements. Moreover, the establishment of the Advisory Council on the Environment (COT) in 1994, responded to the need to incorporate principles such as partnership in the management of environmental policy. ( Jordan, A. J. 2001) Although there is undoubtedly a greater climate of dialogue between governments, interest groups and NGOs, we cannot categorically say that the old statist political style, uncooperative and closed will be replaced by a corporatist (based on the linkage between them few major players within the policy community) or pluralistic (changing agreements between authorities and private actors competing for the favour of the former). Test the old style resistance to disappear are, for example, obstacles that the administration gives to citizens when their access to environmental information and, above all, the failure of the COT. ( Jordan, A. J. 2001). This institution came into 1995, yet mandated socialist and Aedenat Greenpeace in protest at their low weight in influencing decisions on certain environmental, whereas now, the administration of the PP, the situation is critical because it has not been convened since 1997 (September ), and in its recent reform (July 2002), has reduced both the presence of the environmentalists, 11-2, as the frequency of its meetings, which go from quarterly to bi (Aguilar, 2002a). Therefore, you can subscribe to Goma and Subirats (1989: 9) say about the country's political style in general: "the apparent shape to make decisions has changed dramatically. But unless the players have changed and also changed little the characteristic lack of openness or transparency of many of the core networks in decision-making "(...)" massive resistance was detected continues to alter the dominant role that historically the state plays in the symbolic and strategic outlook British "(... ), "the structure of government and bureaucratic form of work ... has remained basically unchanged." Sumup The European Union is an international regime that has developed a substantial environmental regulations and high quality throughout the year, independently and not conditional on its ability to initiate legislation in this policy (harmonization mechanism). This policy also has occurred as a result, now on a non-autonomous and self conditioned, the incorporation of successful measures by countries both outside and within the community environment (emulation mechanism), and to a lesser extent, monitoring and implementation of programs sponsored by other international organizations (diffusion mechanism). Regardless of where appropriate legislation, once the EU adopts it becomes a community and becomes bound implementation by member states (Europeanization). In reality, however, both dynamics are intermingled, especially since the Commission is pursuing more actively the cooperation of governments and interest groups when drafting legislation in this field. In UK, the three dimensions that can be divided into environmental policy is the substantive content or the one that has been Europeanized, mainly because the mechanism par excellence of Europeanization, harmonization (understood as the transposition of directives into national law) is the higher incidence in terms of changes in the substance of legislation. The institutional dimension has also undergone changes that are explained as a result of European influence, but still has inertia (lack of institutional coordination) or preserves traces prior to accession to the Community (the asymmetry of the system of intergovernmental relations), so that the actual Europeanization is less than the substantive dimension. As for the style of environmental policy, finally, is also detected, due to the importance ascribed to Brussels ideas as shared responsibility and transparency, there is now greater cooperation between public and private. However, similarly to what happened in relation to the institutions, this dimension continues to exhibit characteristics of old-style statist we cannot conclude that a new Europeanized style, collaboration between authorities and social groups, transparency and accountability defined in the administration in its dealings with citizens, will replace the previous one. Despite this, the EU's influence is undeniable and a return to form "archaic" of politics is not possible now. References McCormick, John (2008) Understanding the European Union: A Concise Boerzel, T. (2002) States and Regions in the European Union (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Cini, Michele and Nieves Perez-Solorzano Borragan (eds) (2009) European Union Politics (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nugent, Neill (2010) The Government and Politics of the European Union (7th ed.). London: Palgrave. Wallace, Helen, Mark A. Pollack and Alasdair R. Young (2010) Policy-Making in the European Union (6th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cowles, M., Caporaso, J. and T. Risse (eds) (2001) Transforming Europe (Ithaca: Cornell University Press). Nugent, Neill (2010) The Government and Politics of the European Union (7th ed.). London: Palgrave. Dinan, Desmond (2010) Ever Closer Union: An Introduction to European Integration (4th ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave. Goetz, K. (2001b) ‘Making Sense of Post-communist Central Administrations: Modernization, Europeanization or Latinization?’ Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 1032-1051. Cini, M. and Perez-Solorzano Borragan, N. (2010) European Union Politics (Oxford: Oxford University Press) (3rd Edition). Jordan, A. J. (2001) ‘National Environmental Ministries: Managers or Ciphers of European Environmental Policy?’ Public Administration, Vol. 79, No. 3, pp. 643-663. Wallace, H., Pollack, M. A. and Young, A. R. (2010) Policy-Making in the European Union (Oxford: Oxford University Press) (Sixth Edition). Jordan, A.J. (ed.) (2002b) Environmental Policy in the European Union: Actors, Institutions and Processes (London: Earthscan). Jordan, A.J. (2003) ‘The Europeanization of National Government and Policy’. British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 33, No. 2 (in press). Jordan, A. Wurzel, R. and A. Zito (eds) (2003) New Instruments of Environmental Governance: National Experiences and Prospects. Special issue of Environmental Politics, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1-224. Weimer, D. L. and Vining, A. R. (2010) Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Longman / Prentice Hall) (5th edition). Knill, C. (2001) The Europeanisation of National Administrations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Hix, S. and Goetz, G. (2000): ‘Introduction: European Integration and National Political Systems’, West European Politics, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 1-26. Mol, A.P.J., V. Lauber and D. Liefferink (eds)(2000) The voluntary approach to environmental policy (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Olsen, J.P. (2002), ‘The many faces of Europeanization’. Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 40, No. 5, 921-52. Roller, E. and A. Sloat (2002) ‘The Impact of Europeanisation on Regional Governance: a Study of Catalonia and Scotland’. Public Policy and Administration, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 68-86. Weale, A. et al. (2000) Environmental Governance in Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Wessels, W., Maurer, A. and J. Mittag (ed.s.) (2003) Fifteen into One: The EU and Its Member States (Manchester: Manchester University Press). Zito, A. (2000) Making European Environmental Policy (Basingstoke: Macmillan). CoRWM Committee on Radioactive Waste Management) (2006a). Managing our Radioactive Waste Safely. CoRWM’s recommendations to Government, Doc 700, July. London: HMSO. CoRWM (Committee on Radioactive Waste Management) (2006b). Moving Forward: CoRWM’s Proposals for Implementation. Doc 1703, July. London: HMSO. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (2001). Managing Radioactive Waste Safely. Proposals for developing a policy for managing solid radioactive waste in the UK. September. London: HMSO. Defra/BERR (2008). Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for implementing geological disposal. Cm 7386, June. London: HMSO. Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) (2002). Managing the Nuclear Legacy: a Strategy for Action. CM 5552, July. London: HMSO. House of Lords (2007). Radioactive Waste Management: an Update. House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, 4th Report Session 2006-2007 HL 109, 3 June. London: HMSO. McTavish, D. & Pyper, R. (2007). Monitoring the public appointments process in the UK: Issues and themes surrounding the use of semi-independent commissioners. Public Management Review, 9(1), 145-153. Renn, O (2004). Analytic-deliberative processes of decision-making: linking expertise, stakeholder experience and public values. CoRWM Doc 847. London: HMSO. Simmons, P. & Bickerstaff, K. (2006). CARL Country Report UK Summary. March. Steffek, J. (2003). The legitimation of international governance: a discourse approach. European Journal of International Relations, 9(2), 249-275. Sullivan, Mr. Justice. 2007. Judgment CO/8197/2006. Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, 15th February, London. Read More