The European Community's Regulation and Control of Waste and the Adoption of Civil Liability

The European Community has primarily been concerned with economic integration among its member states. However, along with economic integration comes the need for uniform environmental policies. This Article discusses the current regulatory structure of waste management in the European Community and outlines the recently proposed directive calling for strict liability for injury or environmental damages caused by wastes. The proposed directive is intentionally broad in scope, and imposes joint and several civil liability upon the responsible parties.

This Article discusses the pros and cons of the proposed directive in terms of the development of centralized and uniform European Community environmental policies.