25 years of modern environmental policy in Germany: Treading a well-worn path to the top of the international field

The development of a systematic environmental policy began in Germany over 25 years ago. In the meantime environmental protection has become an established area of policymaking and is still expanding. Nevertheless, state environmental policy is once again subject to severe societal pressure. On the one hand, demands are being made with great vigour that the concept of sustainable development be translated into tangible policies, that the ecological modernisation of the industrial society be driven forward and that the global challenges to the environment be dealt with quickly and effectively. On the other hand, criticism from industry is becoming louder, with accusations that environmental measures are exaggerated and inefficient, and at the same time in the social area there are increasing conflicts of distribution due to the rise of other problems (such as unemployment and cuts in the social welfare system). Against this background it is interesting to review the most important phases in the development of state environmental policy and highlight the relevant factors which contributed to it. It is then possible to identify the factors which are particularly relevant in injecting more dynamism into environmental policy and raising its efficiency. This study is intended as the first step in this direction. The main characteristics and effects of German environmental policy are identified and discussed on the basis of criteria and insights generally acknowledged by environmental policy experts.