ABSTRACT
At a European level, it appears that many European institutions have developed a growing interest in VAs and in their improvement as effective policy tools. The European Commission is on the one hand faced with increasing interest in the use of VAs, and on the other hand understands the criticisms that are often levelled against VAs (e.g. that VAs can be too soft and ineffectual). An area that has attracted particular criticism, as well as being one that presents most potential solutions to several of the criticisms, is the monitoring process. The Commission is therefore looking to understand current practice and the associated strengths and weaknesses of the different monitoring systems, and develop guidelines and requirements for monitoring systems and approaches for future EU-wide environmental agreements.
