Published on 5 May 2023
https://doi.org/10.18485/sres.2023.2.1.1
ABSTRACT: This article aims to explain how and to what extent the European environmental protection policy influences the environmental protection policies of EU member states. The theoretical concept of Europeanization can provide a possible explanation. The article is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the concept of Europeanization, its mechanisms and influence on public policies in general. In the second part, the author will try to clarify the impact of Europeanization on national environmental protection policies by applying previously defined concepts, terms and analytical frameworks. In this paper, Europeanization is understood as the interaction between the EU and individual member states; therefore, candidate countries, including Serbia, were not included in the research. The fact that environmental protection policy is one of the most extensive (in terms of the number of regulations) and the most expensive (in terms of implementation) European public policies provides scientific and social justification of this research. By applying a comparative analysis of national environmental protection policies, we concluded that the most profound (and most visible) effect is the one that Europeanization has on the content of national environmental protection policies. The structures and style of policies are also affected by Europeanization, but to a lesser extent.
KEY WORDS: Europeanization, European Union, member states, public policies, environmental protection policy.
