Introduction

While European Union (EU) environmental law has had high points and low points, it has clearly been expanding since the mid-1970s. Indeed, EU leadership has been particularly noteworthy in managing past and present environmental challenges. This book analyses the international legal mechanisms through which the EU seeks to exert a more proactive impact on the promotion of the principles of sustainability and environmental protection at a global level. After referring to the current status quo, this introduction presents the structure of the book, which is organized around nine chapters that examine different sectors or international regimes that have an impact on the environment, as well as the research questions that each chapter analyses and its methodology.