Eurach Research

Environment

5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

The research cluster “Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems” was established in 2010. Since environmental problems usually have local, national, and transnational dimensions, the Institute investigates whether and how the management and conservation of natural resources, as well as the protection of the environment, are guaranteed both at different governmental levels and, from a comparative perspective, in different legal systems.

The main research fields covered so far are: the impact of EU environmental law on the Italian national and regional/provincial legislation; the division of legislative competences between the Italian state and regions/autonomous provinces; the management and protection of water resources; public participation in the environmental decision-making procedures; the protection of biodiversity and ecological connectivity; the improvement and harmonization of low carbon policies and strategies.

Beyond basic research, a number of third-party (EU and Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen) funded projects and consultancies have been carried out.

The work in this area can be grouped in the following six strategic sub-categories:

(1) Multilevel governance

(a) Environmental protection in multi-layered systems (ongoing)

(b) The impact of EU-legislation on the Autonomy of South Tyrol (2013-2018)

(2) Constitutional reforms and autonomies

(a) Allocation of competences between the Italian State and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen (2014-2015)

(b) Research on the implications of the Italian constitutional reform for the environmental competence, within the institute’s project “Italian Constitutional Reform 2015/16” (2015-2016)

(c) Research on the centralising tendencies with regard to environmental policy in the UK following the Brexit (ongoing)

(3) Water governance

(a) Water governance in Italy and the challenge of sustainability (2010-2011)

(b) Consultancy report for the University of Trento on water governance (2016)

(c) Consultancy for the World Bank on Italian water laws in the framework of the World Bank's annual publication “Enabling the Business of Agriculture” (2018)

(4) Renewable energies and climate change

(a) Low carbon South East Europe LOCSEE (2013-2014)

(b) Enhancing Environmental Performarce and Climate Proofing of Infrastructure Investments in the Western Balkans from an EU integration perspectives (2017-2019)

(c) Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Carpathian mountains, UNEP (2017)

(d) GLOMOS conference on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (2018)

(5) Participatory democracy

(a) Regulating and promoting public participation in EIA in selected pilot Provinces and Municipalities (2013-2014)

(b) Participation in an international network of scholars focusing on water and participation, led by the Universities of Erlangen and Turin (2016-2017)

(6) Environmental protection

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Eurac Research is a private research center based in Bolzano (South Tyrol) with researchers from a wide variety of scientific fields who come from all over the globe. Together, through scientific knowledge and research, they share the goal of shaping the future.

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