Attending will be seven European experts in creating and using new policies to meet the 21st century environmental and economic challenges.

The UW-Madison European Union Center of Excellence, Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy and La Follette School of Public Affairs are sponsoring “Innovative Environmental Governance and Regulation in the European Union: Any Lessons of the US?”  The experts from business, government, non-government and academic sectors will cover a range of topics including river protection, efficient permitting, product stewardship, chemical use, environmental-business cooperation and differentiating good environmental performers. 

“We want to offer public officials, business persons and citizens access to policy experts and players they could never otherwise meet,” says Professor Jonathan Zeitlin, director of the EU Center.  “The Wisconsin Idea is at work to help our citizens and leaders meet the environmental and economic challenges we face in each community and at every level.”

Professor Zeitlin emphasized that the program is designed to be useful to the non-policy as well as policy attendee, with ample time for questions and discussion.

The workshop is open to the public with daily or event-long registration at www.mswg.org.  The EU session is limited to 130 on a first come, first-served basis to facilitate discussion.  The conference expects up to 300 people with sessions on inter-connected environmental, economic and energy issues in Asia, Australia, the American and Europe.  China will also be highlighted.

Professor Zeitlin said communities and countries are looking to policy innovation to meet environmental challenges, remain economically competitive and live within tight government budgets.

“We made great environmental progress in the last 30 years, but new tools and new mixes of old tools are required for the next 30 years,” he added.

Professor Zeitlin listed topics and presenters, highlighting their policy and programmatic aspects:

Public Overview: Innovative Environmental Governance and Regulation: Ingmar von Homeyer, ECOLOGIC/Institute for International and European Environmental Policy, Brussels; and Joanne Scott, director of the Centre for Law and Governance in Europe, University College, London. 

Environmental Innovation in Practice:

Water Framework Approach: Peter Kessler, former director general for water management, German State of Hessen and senior advisor, ECOLOGIC.

Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control: Martin Bigg, head of industry regulation, United Kingdom Environmental Agency.

Integrated Product Policy: Klaus Koegler, Head of sustainable production and consumption, European Commission.

Registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals (REACH): Robert Donkers, counselor for environmental affairs, European Commission Delegation, Washington, DC.

Business and civil society perspectives: Raymond Van Ermen, executive director, European Partners for the Environment; Martina Bianchini, Dirctor of government affairs and public policy, DOW Chemical Europe.

A concluding roundtable will summarize the day’s messages.