Martin Führ - Böcker

Die häufig gestellte Forderung nach einem schlanken, aber dennoch effektiven Staat klingt paradox. Trotzdem ist dies der Kern einer Debatte, die von vielen Verbänden, aber auch in Kreisen der Ökonomie, des Rechts und der Politikwissenschaft seit einigen Jahren geführt wird. Der vorliegende Band beschreibt einen Ausweg aus diesem Dilemma: Die 'responsive Regulierung'. Danach agiert der Staat nicht mehr strikt imperativ, sondern antwortet auf die Interessenlage des Regelungsadressaten und auf die Anreizkonstellation, die sein Verhalten bestimmt. Vor diesem Hintergrund sind hier nun verschiedene Ansätze der Gesetzesfolgenforschung aus Ökonomie und Rechtswissenschaft, aber auch Politikwissenschaft und Philosophie versammelt und es wird nach den Bedingungen, unter denen eine disziplinenübergreifende Verständigung zwischen den beteiligten Wissenschaften gelingen kann, gefragt.

This book assembles the revised papers of an international conference and thus offers a comprehensive comparative overview of the participation and litigation rights of environmental associations in Europe. This is supplemented by a compilation of the relevant statutory law in force. Besides the legal background, the focus of interest is above all on practical experience with participation and litigation rights from the point of view of the environmental associations.The contributions show that the effectivity of group actions is extremely high. In none of the analysed countries were there the slightest indications of any undue strain being placed on the judicial system by this instrument. There can be no doubt that the participation and litigation rights of environmental organizations are important instruments in reducing the enforcement deficit in environmental protection. With a view to the fact that Europe is growing more and more into one entity, the need of participation of environmental NGO's on the European level becomes a pressing necessity.

This volume contains papers presented in a workshop of international experts in September 2008 in Berlin. The experts discussed how environmental consequences of EU legislation can be incorporated in a more effective way. In other words, this contribution focuses on the question of which measures can strengthen the cons- eration of environmental effects in the EU impact assessment procedure and in the subsequent legislative decision-making process. This allows drawing conclusions for the impact assessment process in Germany. This volume begins with an introductory paper (Bizer/Lechner/Führ) which served as the basis for discussion in our workshop. The questions raised in this paper are addressed by the authors of the subsequent chapters. Stephen White (DG Environment, EU-Commission) discusses the impact assessment from an int- nal perspective within the Commission. Pendo Maro (European Environmental Bureau) reviews the impact assessment practice from the perspective of an en- ronmental NGO. Martin Schmidt et al. discuss the potential for more formalism to strengthen environmental issues within impact assessments and favour a checklist.