The European Council, the Council and the Member States: changing environmental leadership dynamics in the European Union

Wurzel, Rüdiger K.W.; Liefferink, Duncan; Di Lullo, Maurizio

Abstract

The leadership dynamics between the European Council, the Council and the Member States in European Union (EU) environmental policy since the 1970s are analysed. The puzzle is that, although the EU was set up as a ‘leaderless Europe’, it is widely seen as an environmental leader, albeit sometimes as a one-eyed leader amongst the blind. While differentiating between leadership types, it is argued that the European Council has the largest structural, the Council the most significant entrepreneurial, and the Member States the most important cognitive and exemplary leadership capacities. Most day-to-day environmental policy measures are negotiated by the Environment Council (in collaboration with the European Parliament). The European Council’s increased interest in high politics climate change issues is largely due to the EU’s global leadership ambitions. Member States have traditionally formed environmental leadership alliances on an ad hoc basis although this may be changing.

Citation

Wurzel, R. K., Liefferink, D., & Di Lullo, M. (2019). The European Council, the Council and the Member States: changing environmental leadership dynamics in the European Union. Environmental Politics, 28(2), 248-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1549783

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jan 17, 2019
• Publication Date: Feb 23, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 27, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 18, 2020
• Journal: Environmental Politics
• Print ISSN: 0964-4016
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-8934
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 248-270
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1549783
• Keywords: Environmental Science (miscellaneous); Sociology and Political Science
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1221727
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2019.1549783
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=fenp20; Published: 2019-01-17