Addresses the legal aspects of how the precautionary principle is implemented in different sectors, and examines its successes, failures, strengths and weaknesses. This book provides an appraisal of the question of whether the precautionary principle is relevant, indeed essential, to avert major environmental and health risks.

For some, a protectionist policy underlies most environmental measures. Lawyers working in the area of fundamental freedoms are very accustomed to discussing all issues within a free market framework and therefore often come to market-friendly decisions. Similarly, while environmental law has taken on a renewed intensity at European level, the tendency has been to analyse the subject rather narrowly, and studies fail to address the impact of environmental law on market integration.
Written by one of the foremost experts in the area, the book challenges current thought and re-assesses the...