The Legal Dimension of Global Governance: What Role for the EU?

On 13-14 October 2011, the Faculty of Law of the University of Copenhagen hosted a conference dealing with the EU’s role as a global actor, and several environmental issues were discussed in this respect. Amongst others, the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emission Trading Scheme was discussed. Doubt exist as to whether the EU ETS is in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, whereas developing countries are equally subjected to the new rules. Furthermore, it was argued that there is a lack of overarching coordination of the major Multilateral Environmental Agreements with regard to the objective of sustainable development. For example, regulatory gaps exist with regard to biofuels, which were mentioned both as contributing to the mitigation of climate change and as a threat to biodiversity. To conclude, the need for more qualified majority voting in determining the EU position and for more clarity on who is to negotiate in international environmental fora was emphasized.