This thesis analyses the Europeanization of national environmental agencies by assessing the impact of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its main environmental information and observation network, the Eionet, on three of its member countries, namely Germany, France and Britain. The EEA began its work in 1994. It established the Eionet to institutionalize cooperation with member countries from which it obtains environmental data required for its work. This thesis assesses the German Umweltbundesamt (UBA), French Agence de l’Environnement at de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (ADEME) and Institut Français de l’Environnement (Ifen) as well as the Environment Agency (EA) of England and Wales. The different national arrangements for Eionet participation are explained and the question of whether the creation of the EEA and national participation in the Eionet had a significant impact on the national environmental administrations in the three case countries is scrutinised. It is argued that all national environmental agencies assessed in this thesis have been affected by Europeanization, although to different degrees. This thesis draws heavily on historical institutionalism and Europeanization theories when 'testing' three hypotheses. Unpublished new empirical findings are also presented. This thesis argues that the EEA‘s impact on its member countries has, overall, remained very limited which explains the continued divergence between national environmental agencies. These findings are in line with historical institutionalist explanations. The only exception is the French Ifen which was set up as an independent agency in direct response to the creation of the EEA. As explained in the thesis, the French exceptionalism was, however, short-lived and largely driven by domestic (rather than EU-level) factors. This thesis provides new empirical material and analytical insights into the cooperation of national environment agencies and the EEA within the network of Heads of European Environment Protection Agencies (EPA network).

This thesis seeks to examine the status of retail investors’ protection in the Hellenic legal order, under the light of EU law; focusing on investment firm failure as a result of tort, it investigates whether the EU and Hellenic normative systems aim at and achieve effective protection of retail investors. It explores in particular the issue of ex lege liability of compensation schemes and the issue of non-contractual liability of supervisory authorities. In case of intermediary failure the minimum protection is awarded by EU law in the form of ex lege compensation does not establish a coherent system, and the legal status of retail investors vis-à-vis depositors remains uncertain in many respects. The ECJ has denied application of the acquis on individual protection to depositors in Peter Paul, with regard to non-contractual liability of supervisors, but the application of its reasoning in the area of investment services is doubtful. The new EU finance law and architecture does not fundamentally affect these conclusions. On the other hand, retail investor protection may validly be considered as an autonomous aim of finance law in the Hellenic legal order. Despite inefficiencies connected also to the structure of relevant EU rules transposed, and despite the incoherence of the various national rules on the liquidation of financial intermediaries and the operation of compensation schemes –in particular with regard to claim verification– yet effective protection of retail investors may a priori be achieved through the existing national judicial mechanism. This dynamic is demonstrated by recent case-law on protection of retail investors in the context of ex lege compensation; yet it seems to lessen in the area of non-contractual liability of supervisors. Even though ex lege immunity of supervisors has been denied by case-law, the effectiveness of protection has been mitigated by the strict substantive criteria formulated.

Par l’arrêt Pla et Puncernau contre Andorre du 13 juillet 2004, la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme a fait une entrée remarquée dans le contrôle de l’interprétation des actes juridiques privés. Tenante d’une conception réaliste du droit, elle a élaboré des Principes européens d’interprétation qui sont autant d’obligations qui pèsent sur le juge national. La CJUE partage en grande partie ces principes, mais possède ses particularités et hésite encore à s’aligner sur le contrôle du juge de Strasbourg. Le juge français est quant à lui confronté à des directives d’interprétation qui sont de simples conseils, tandis que la Cour de cassation se refuse à opérer un autre contrôle que celui de la dénaturation. Dès lors, elle n’est pas en mesure de redresser les fautes commises par les juges du fond notamment, et encourt le risque d’engager la responsabilité de l’Etat français devant la Cour EDH. Si la Cour de cassation a entamé une réflexion sur la façon de rendre la justice en coordination avec les cours européennes, la modification du système herméneutique français se heurte à de nombreux obstacles révélateurs de la conception traditionnelle du droit français des obligations. / With the case of Pla and Puncernau versus Andorra on 13 July 2004, the European Court of Human Rights has made a dramatic entrance in the supervision of the interpretation of private contracts. Defending a realist conception of law, it developed European Principles of interpretation, which are obligations for national courts. The CJEU largely shares these principles, but has its particularities and it is still reluctant to align with the Strasbourg Court’s supervision. The French judge is itself faced with interpretive guidelines that are simple advice, while the Court of Cassation refused to operate another supervision than the denaturation. Therefore, it is not able to correct the errors committed by the trial judges in particular, and takes the risk to commit a violation of the European law. If the Supreme Court considers by now how to deliver justice in coordination with the European courts, changing the French hermeneutic system faces many obstacles revealing the traditional conception of French law of obligations.