ABSTRACT
Britain’s relationship with European water quality policy has been one of the most turbulent and controversial aspects of the Europeanisation of environmental policy. Indeed, water pollution control is often used as a paradigm of the conflict between two differing ‘styles’ of environmental regulation. The British style is one characterised by flexibility, pragmatism, administrative discretion and an avoidance of absolute, statutory standards. This British tradition has been subject to increasing challenge and modification from an emerging ‘European’ style of environmental regulation based on formal and more legalistic systems of pollution control, with legal standards and timetables laid down for compliance with them.
