Abstract

In this paper, we examine what the principles subsidiarity and integration mean and how they work in the environmental field, in the European legal system. The objective is to point out how these principles have enriched the European debate on how the different competences should be exercised and on where the concerns related to the protection of the environment should be considered. The principles of subsidiarity and integration, it is concluded, may offer a different path from traditional decision-making processes, which is adjusted to the peculiar characteristics of environmental issues.