Course : ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN THE EU /ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND THE INTERNAL MARKET_περιβάλλον και εσωτερική αγορά

Note: this is a closed module for registered students only. It will be free to access upon registration after the semester is completed. If you have questions or wish to access the course's content, please contact me at thiliopoulos@law.uoa.gr

This optional module focuses on the dynamic character of EU environmental law as driver of the attainment of sustainable development and of a net zero transition. It aims at providing students with a thorough understanding of the EU environmental and energy competence and the relevant supranational legislative action. In this regard, it aims at introducing students to EU legal instruments and methods of environmental, climate, and energy governance. At the same time, it highlights how environmental, climate, and energy-related action takes co-exists with the rules that govern the structure and the functioning of the internal market. Special focus is placed on elucidating methods of economic regulation.

Contents

The module is dedicated to both the scope and the exercise of EU environmental and energy competence. The guiding principles, objectives and instruments of EU environmental policy will be examined. Fundamentals of internal market law and economic regulation are discussed, before focus shifts towards specific matters of EU environmental law (such as environmental rights, environmental impact assessment, or environmental liability). Special attention is given to the elucidation of modern challenges, such as climate litigation and access to justice, the transition to a circular economy, or the energy crisis and the REPowerEU Plan. The course closely follows actuality and its content may be enriched depending on the legal (policy, legislative, or jurdicial) developments.

Academic Requirements

Participants are required to have prior knowledge of the fundamentals of the structure of the EU legal order. Prior knowledge of environmental law is not required (but can serve as a good background).

Teaching method

The module follows an innovative approach in combining elements of lecture and of workshop format, which requires a high degree of student activity. EU legal material (EU Treaty provisions, Regulations, Directives), CJEU judgements, and readings (journal papers and book chapters) will be made available and discussed throughout the classes.