ABSTRACT
Implementation failure and non-compliance in the EU are not a genuine 'Southern Problem' caused by a disease from which only the Mediterranean member states suffer. While it is true that infringements of European Environmental Law are more prevalent in the South than in the North, they result from a constellation of EU - and domestic factors that render effective implementation and compliance more difficult for southern EU-policy takers than for northern EU-policy makers. In order to state the argument, this chapter compares the implementation of different EU environmental policies in Germany, one of the environmental leaders, and in Spain, which pertains to the group of environmental laggards. It starts with a short explanation of why the policies were selected and how effective implementation and compliance are measured. Then, the major features of environmental policy-making in Germany and Spain are briefly described. The chapter traces the process through which each of the policies is implemented in the two member states.
