Beyond the Member State: Subnational Infringements of European Environmental Directives

This dissertation examines the extent to which subnational authorities comply with European environmental directives. Problematic implementation of EU environmental legislation is well-known, but continued noncompliance with EU environmental legislation, evident in water and air quality, waste management, and biodiversity loss, not only harms the environment and human health but also undermines the legitimacy of EU legislation and the EU as a rulemaking institution. While the determinants of national-level noncompliance, is well-documented, subnational noncompliance is underexplored, particularly across Member states and over time. This dissertation tests the three main theoretical approaches from the EU implementation research—management, enforcement, and legitimacy—to understand what determines subnational noncompliance behavior. Three empirical chapters test these approaches applying a mixed methods research design in the first two chapters and a quantitative design in the third. The research draws on a unique dataset of subnational infringements of EU environmental directives between 2005 and 2018, alongside 28 semi-structured interviews with subnational civil servants and green party members to explain the mechanisms underlying the quantitative findings. The findings show significant variation in compliance across subnational authorities within and across MS, highlighting that political preferences are decisive, with varying interests in environmental policy driving differences in compliance. A comparative analysis across 24 MS reveals that greater subnational autonomy, financial resources, and support for green parties are associated with higher levels of subnational compliance. Additionally, stronger public support for EU integration decreases the likelihood of subnational infringements. This dissertation underscores the complexity of environmental policy implementation, illustrating that while structural constraints are important, subnational political preferences and public opinion are paramount in shaping environmental compliance outcomes. Overall, the dissertation emphasizes the central importance of subnational authorities in achieving compliance with European environmental objectives.