ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the national environmental policies and how they have been shaped by distinctly British/German formal and informal determinants. It assesses to what extent national and a European Union (EU) environmental policy differ and highlights those formal and informal determinants in the United Kingdom and German layers which hinder the implementation of many EU environmental policies. The chapter argues that both Member States feature 'distinct' environmental policies which derive from their formal and informal circumstances and differ in many respects from EU environmental policies. It suggests that two broad reasons for the inadequate implementation of EU environmental policies: Firstly, EU environmental policies often clash with informal determinants, in particular with national policy-makers' priorities and strategies as well as policy styles and practices. Secondly, EU environmental policies are often incompatible with formal determinants such as political-administrative structures and legal systems that organise and administrate environmental policies within the national layers.
