ABSTRACT
Since the mid-1970s, environmental protection has become one of the principal areas of public policy in Europe. Growing awareness about the negative environmental effects of economic activities has resulted in a growth of state intervention, at national, regional and local levels, to achieve environmental objectives. Furthermore, the European Union (EU)'s regulatory activity in this field has expanded enormously. The policy instruments applied to deal with environmental degradation have been wide-ranging, including information campaigns and financial incentives. However, there has been a dominance of so-called command-and-control regulation, with legislation setting a variety of pollution, quality and safety standards. Since the early 1990s, this regulatory activity has come under increasing criticism, in tandem with a more general disenchantment with regulation and government intervention.
