ABSTRACT
European Union (EU) environmental legislation is divided into sector-specific and horizontal effect. The former is concerned with limiting and preventing pollution in areas such as waste management, air pollution, water pollution and exposure to noise. The sector of waste management will benefit enormously from the transposition process. The impact of the acquis on the protection of the environment is becoming obvious when one sees that national legislation extends to areas that were completely unregulated or that new sophisticated legislation involving the use of new technology replaces existing laws. The environmental acquis consists of sophisticated legislation, the underlying objective of which is the prevention and the reduction of pollution caused by traditional and high tech activities – even though the distinction between the two is eroding as the former is becoming industrialized at a swift pace.
