Strengthening EU Environmental Law:
Legal Perspectives on Greening Europe
To fall in love with the EU Emissions Trading instrument?
Opportunities and challenges of this core pillar of EU climate law
In the hearing for the European Parliament as designate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra confessed to be in love with the EU greenhouse gas emissions trading instrument. He conveyed the view that it is the “crown jewel” and “working horse” of EU climate policies and law. While indeed economic theory paved the way for a positive appreciation of this marketbased regulatory instrument, legal research has identified opportunities but also challenges. This lecture will introduce the surprisingly simple theoretical design of the instrument, and the evolution and complexities of applying it in EU law, including the impressive number of court procedures. Focal points will be the contribution to climate neutrality by the gradual lowering of the allowed emissions, the increased obligation of emitters to pay and the spending of revenues by governments, and the expansion of the instrument to other emitters than industries. The lecture will question whether we can know whether emissions are reported trustworthily, and calls for more civil society attention for the instrument.
Speaker
Prof. Marjan Peeters
Marjan Peeters holds the position of Professor of Environmental Policy and Law since April 2008. Marjan started in 1987 with studying environmental law. Since then, she has been focusing on understanding how a high level of environmental protection can be effectively and efficiently reached based on the rule of law and in the context of sustainable development. Core research attention goes to legal aspects of climate change, regulatory instruments for emission reduction, and the way how law deals with uncertain risks.
The latest books are the `Research Handbook on EU Environmental Law' (2020), co-edited with Mariolina Eliantonio, and `Climate Change Law' (2016), co-edited with Daniel A Farber. Since September 2022, Marjan has taken part in the Greendeal-NET project and has been the lead on this environmental law lecture series.
All publications by Marjan can be found here
Marjan leads the courses “European Environmental Law” (master) and “International Environmental Law” at Maastricht University. Marjan is a member of Maastricht Centre of European Law and of the Institute for Transnational Legal Research (Metro).
Environmental Law Lecture Series
This lecture is part of the Environmental Law Lecture Series: Strengthening EU Environmental Law, Legal Perspectives on Greening Europe series. This series provides a set of important insights from environmental law scholars on how EU environmental law helps to achieve the aim of a high level of environmental protection in the European Union and across the world.
With the European Green Deal from 11 December 2019 the European Commission tabled an ambitious legislative program, based on fundamental aims such as zero pollution, do no harm, and climate neutrality. Many legal developments took place and are still on-going, both at the European and national regulatory levels as in the courtroom, including the national courts. While efforts to protect the environment are direly needed, including effective implementation and enforcement, the regulatory acquis, and the flow of case law, have become utterly complex which poses challenges for acquiring a good understanding and application.
This freely accessible online (and hybrid) lecture series provides students and scholars with core insights in the state of affairs and further improvement of EU environmental law. The lecture series will run in 2023 and 2024. All lectures will be recorded and will be made accessible through our YouTube channel.
This GreenDeal-Net lecture series is hosted by MCEL, METRO and organised in cooperation with GLaw-Net and GreenDeal-NET. Maastricht University students will be eligible for certificates of attendance (see more information under the registration link).