Title: Setting the scene: rising tensions in the EUs external environmental action
Abstract: In recent years, European Union (EU) law has shown to complicate the EU's necessary international engagement in different policy areas, from investment to trade law. Traditionally, international environmental action has not been part of the relating discussions. However, the recent events within the compliance mechanism under the Aarhus Convention provide reason to break with this tradition. The chapter links the anecdotal Aarhus events to the broader observance of a potential tension in the EU's external action. It highlights how EU law commits the EU to taking international action. Yet, at the same time, EU law sets limits to using international instruments and accepting the consequences of their use, including the 'internationalisation' of EU law. This background prompts the book to explore the extent to which the EU can use multilateral environmental compliance mechanisms to pursue its environmental policy objectives, and the relating consequences for EU law.