Marché unique et environnement : quelle intégration ?

Numerous texts and decisions produced by the European authorities allude to the necessity to integrate competitive and environmental policies. Over the years, this integration has become an imperative for the authorities of the European Union. If the aim of European institutions is both to build a single market based on economic freedom, and to harmonise policies (including environmental policies), how are these two necessities reconciled today ? Towards what kind of environmental policy integration are we headed ? And, at the end of the day, what kind of competitive and commercial distortions are going to emerge ? This article begins by presenting the issue in question as it exists today. An outline of the way in which environmental policies are implemented will then help to better understand the political and economic implications of integration. This article will consider the kind of integration possible, taking into account the fact that environmental policies remain occasionally subject to economic and competitive constraints. At the end this paper will study the solutions to these conflicts as proposed by the Court.