Target group
All parties interested in understanding the most recent developments in EU’s dense environmental legislation without necessarily having a legal background, civil servants and staff of public administrations, NGOs, environmental networks, as well as private sector actors with an interest in EU environmental law.

Description
A high level of protection of environment is one of the key objectives enshrined in the EU treaties. It covers a wind range of areas such as nature protection (Natura 2000 network), environmental impact assessments, water protection, waste management, etc. It is very closely linked with another key objective: to combat climate change. The recent crucial 21st Conference Of Parties (COP21) held in December in Paris is supposed to pave the way for reducing climate change in the post-Kyoto Protocol period.
This one-day seminar aims at providing all interested parties with an update on the most recent developments in environmental and climate change policies and legislation, focusing in particular on:
• The results of the Paris COP21 and expectations on the future climate change-energy EU legislative package.
• The process of ‘fitness check’ launched by the Commission of the Nature protection legislation (‘Birds’ and ‘Habitats’ directives).
• Expectations in the area of Water protection following the expiry of the Water Framework Directive’s deadline to reach ‘good status’ of water by 22/15/2015.
• Waste legislation & expectations on the ‘circular economy.’
• The novelties of the new Environmental Impact Assessment Directive from 2014.

Learning methodology
The programme has been designed to offer a combination of presentations and active discussions with experienced practitioners Recent legislative and jurisprudential developments in the relevant areas will be presented and discussed. The sessions will be moderated by a small team of recognised experts and practitioners, with an emphasis on practical examples, active involvement of the participants, and exchanges of experiences. All sessions include time for questions and answers.

Objectives
• To provide an update on the most recent trends and developments in the area of EU environmental and climate change policies.
• To discuss future EU legislation on climate change and energy covering objectives and targets to be reach post 2020 (2030 and beyond).
• To understand the challenges ahead in the area of ‘circular economy’ and waste legislation.
• To analyse the concrete implications of the ‘good status’ of water objectives enshrined in the Water Framework Directive, following the expiry of the deadline of 22/12/2015 to reach them.
• To provide a platform for networking, exchange experiences and information sharing.

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