Environmental Law Lecture series
Welcome to the Environmental Law Lecture series! In this series, environmental law scholars will provide important insights into how EU environmental law helps to achieve a high level of environmental protection in the European Union and beyond.
EU competences and the energy crisis on renewables, biodiversity and energy security
The current energy crisis has prompted novel approaches as regards EU competences in environmental and energy matters. This includes the adoption in December 2022 of temporary emergency measures aimed at accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, e.g. wind and solar energy projects. The ‘emergency’ Regulation is specifically aimed at streamlining decision-making processes under EU environmental directives, including the explicit presumption that renewable energy projects are of overriding public interest and serving public health and safety for the purposes of the relevant Union environmental legislation, e.g. the EU Habitats and Birds Directives.
The EU already as part of the RePowerEU Plan in May 2022 proposed amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive that would explicitly ‘sidestep’ environmental legislation under certain circumstances. Such novel approaches raise several questions and to some extent may reflect a lack of proper attempts to reconcile biodiversity, climate and energy security concerns within a coherent legal framework. This may add to the blurred boundaries of EU competences in environmental and energy matters.
Biography
Prof. Helle Tegner Anker is a Professor of Law at the University of Copenhagen.
Lecture Series
This lecture is part of a series that runs from 2023 to 2024, providing students and scholars with core insights into the current state of EU environmental law and how it can be improved to achieve greater environmental protection. All lectures will be recorded and made accessible through YouTube, and the series is freely accessible to all.
If you'd like to know more about the other upcoming lectures:
This GreenDeal-Net lecture serie 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).