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The network examines the instruments of environmental policy in the various Member States and in the EU, in order to enhance the scientific knowledge of the functioning and effectiveness of various types of environmental policy in Europe and to promote the development and implementation of other instruments to complement or supplement current legislation.

The network will examine the instruments of environmental policy in the various Member States and in the EC, in order to enhance the scientific knowledge on the functioning and effectiveness of various types of environmental policy in Europe and to promote the development and implementation of other instruments to complement or supplement current legislation.

Firstly, a comprehensive analysis of the environmental dimension and the socio-economic impact of marketable rights, joint implementation mechanisms and fiscal instruments will be carried out. Secondly, models for their efficient and effective implementation will be developed. Finally, policy recommendations for the shaping of such instruments in concrete legislative measures will be elaborated. The US experience will be used throughout as a point of reference.

As a training network, EEP intends to promote the mobility of researchers and the development of an interdisciplinary approach to research and environmental policy, thus contributing to the high quality training of young researchers in human sciences.

The project co-ordinator is the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (U Frank-FSUR), Germany. FEEM is responsible with CIRED for the economic evaluation of the instruments of climate change and air pollution policies.

Air pollution and climate change are among the most challenging and pressing environmental problems faced by the world today. The problems to be solved are the inefficiency and the lack of effectiveness of environmental policy in these areas, both at the national and international level. In order to tackle these problems, all the effects of environmental policy instruments and their consequences in socio-economic and environmental terms need to be taken into account. An integrated and interdisciplinary approach is needed.

EEP intends to fill this gap. Instruments of environmental policy (command and control, economic instruments and voluntary approaches) will be studied in theory and in practice, qualitatively and quantitatively, from a juridical and economic perspective in order to formulate policy recommendations concerning: – the appropriate use of instruments of environmental policy and their effective combination within strategies of environmental policy; – the shaping in concrete legislative measures; – the level in the EU, selection of the instruments of environmental policy to complement command and control approaches.

Methodology
The network will pursue a comprehensive analysis of the instruments of environmental policy (command and control, economic instruments and voluntary approaches) in theory and in practice, qualitatively and quantitatively, from an interdiscliplinary (juridical and economic) perspective. A list of interdisciplinary criteria will serve as a common point of reference. In the assessment of environmental effectiveness and socio-economic impacts of the instruments, EEP will fully integrate environmental, legal, sociologic and economic considerations. As far as economic assessment is concerned, it will both develop macro-economic modelling and a qualitative, public-choice-oriented approach.

Namely, EEP will:

  • study existing methods of comprehensive assessment;
  • develop a common scheme for evaluation and comparison using a common set of interdisciplinary criteria;
  • proceed to a stocktaking of environmental, legal and socio-economic research undertaken on instruments of environmental policy in Europe and of relevant recent practical experiences carried out in the Community, in EU Member States and in the US. Particular attention will be devoted to economic instruments and new voluntary approaches. The environmental and socio-economic implications of the instruments will be assessed;
  • globally compare and evaluate the results achieved using the common set of criteria established in step 2. At this stage, the network shall dispose of a valid interdisciplinary scientific knowledge and develop a fully integrated approach of the instruments of environmental policy;
  • examine current proposals for changes and reform of the environmental policies and strategies, at the Community and Member State level, and analyse them against the background of research results;
  • formulate policy recommendations concerning the use of instruments of environmental policy and the effective articulation of the same within strategies of environmental policy, as well as the shaping in concrete legislative measures.

The role of FEEM
FEEM is responsible with CIRED for the economic part of the project which focuses on the economic evaluation of instruments (also including a mix of various instruments) in the areas of climate and air pollution policies.