Ideally, European legislation stimulates uniform rule application within the Member States and equal circumstances for ‘the regulated’. The European Union, however, is not involved in enforcing these rules and thus does not control the process in which the ‘law in the books’ becomes the ‘law in action’. Enforcement remains the responsibility of individual Member States.
This book compares four EU Member States – the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain – in how two European directives regulating dangerous chemical substances are being enforced and complied with. It shows that enforcement and compliance practices differ considerably. This book explores the background of these differences – both between and within Member States – and generates insight into the mechanisms at work.
Esther Versluis (1975) works as assistant professor at the European Studies programme of the Faculty of Arts and Culture of the Maastricht University.
