More than 30 years have passed since the first Community environmental programme was adopted in 1973, starting the work on what is now a vast body of Community law covering almost any aspect of environmental protection. This book endeavours to take a step back and assess what has been achieved to date and what could be improved for the future. The inspiration for the book was a conference held in Bremen at the end of 2005 to mark the retirement of Ludwig Kramer from the European Commission. Dr Kramer has been a key figure within the Commission from the earliest days of Community environmental law and policy. The current pressures of enlargement, economic downturns, and the debates over the proposed EU Constitution may suggest that Community environmental policy is now at something of a cross-roads. The book is a timely reminder of the very real achievements of Community environmental law to date but equally it addresses critical questions concerning its future direction of development.
