This briefing reviews the principles underlying environmental legislation, summarises the different approaches to its implementation, and notes its distinctive implications for the electricity industry. Environmental Law Environmental law is not new to the United Kingdom. Individuals and companies have long been able to take action under the Common Law of England and Wales to prevent improper interference with the use or enjoyment of their property. In the 1993 Maastricht Treaty it was agreed that all EU policies should take environmental objectives into account. This followed concerns about the growth of trans-boundary pollution, and a desire that the single market should develop on an equitable basis.
European legislation is usually in the form of directives or regulations.
The objectives of a directive are binding upon Member States, but some flexibility is allowed on the method of mplementation into national legislation. EU regulations, however, are directly applicable in Member States. Principles of Environmental Legislation Over the years, four principles in particular have informed the thinking of both national and EU decision-makers in the field of environment law. All these principles have been brought together under the umbrella notion of sustainable development which seeks to promote development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs . The UK Government embraced all of these principles in its 1990 White Paper on the Environment, This Common Inheritance.