Environmental Management in Europe is an interdisciplinary distance learning course offered by the University of Copenhagen with contribution from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, the University of Hohenheim and the European Environment Agency. It is open for MSc students from Denmark, other countries in the EU and the rest of the world. 

The focus of the course is environmental management of natural resources (soil, water, air, biodiversity and climate) from a European perspective. The European Union (EU) sets the policy frame for almost all environmental regulation in the member states. This frame determines both the possibilities and the limitations for carrying out environmental management and developing environmental solutions in the EU.

In the first part of the course the concept of environmental management and the online learning platform used in the course is introduced. A short overview of European natural resources and the current state of the environment within the EU is given. Environmental ethics and sustainability concepts are discussed. There will be an introduction to environmental monitoring and assessment, EU environmental law and EU environmental policy. Economic tools for environmental valuation and cost benefit analysis will be discussed.

The second part of the course features a number of case studies based on actual EU environmental policy initiatives (e.g. the Habitat Directive, the Water Framework Directive, the Air Quality Framework Directive, the Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package and the Soil Framework Directive. It is investigated how these initiatives originated and how they are implemented from the EU level to the national, regional and local levels. The scientific and political background for the different initiatives are analysed and discussed. It is investigated how environmental assessment and economic tools are used to support decision-making and evaluate environmental policies. It is analysed how EU directives are interpreted and implemented in the different member states. The environmental, economic and social consequences of EU environmental policies and the need for EU environmental policy integration are discussed. In this discussion the Water Framework Directive is central, since it links to a number of other EU directives. 

For more information see the course homepage at www.environmental-management.dk

Note 1: In week 34 all students will meet at the University of Copenhagen for one day to get to know each other, meet the teachers, and learn about the online learning system used in the course.

Note 2: Students may follow the course in the first or second year of their Master programme, e.g. as a part of the Basic Semester Package in the EnvEuro MSc programme in Environmental Science (see www.enveuro.eu).