This thesis investigates competition law, State aid law and free-movement law in their interaction with Article 11 TFEU’s obligation to integrate environmental protection requirements into all activities and policies of the Union. The Article is formulated in broad and sweeping terms which makes integrating environmental protection requirements complex and context-dependent. The challenge of integrating environmental considerations is further increased as such integration in competition, State aid and free- movement law is different from other areas of EU action. The three areas are the core provisions protecting the internal market by prohibiting certain actions of the Member States and undertakings. Unlike in other areas, the EU is therefore not in the position to develop or design the actions but has to scrutinise the measure according to pre-established parameters. To address this challenge, a novel functional approach to environmental integration is developed. The approach should facilitate a better understanding of environmental integration and in particular its application to competition law, State aid and free-movement law. An important element of this thesis equally the comparison between the three areas of law. It sheds light on conceptual issues that are not only relevant to the integration of environmental protection. The comparison advances the understanding in relation to questions such as how restrictions are defined and how the respective balancing tests are applied. The contribution of this research is therefore twofold. One the one hand, it compares how the different tests in competition, State aid and free-movement law operate, thereby offering opportunities for cross-fertilisation. On the other hand, this comparison and the improvements suggested as a result help to conceptualise environmental integration thereby paving the way for a more transparent and consistent integration of environmental protection in competition, State aid and free-movement law.

No / EU law is not a subject enjoyed by most students but it really does not have to be difficult. Every EU law question is likely to ask you to apply your knowledge of the law to a particular context – either a practical one, as in problem questions, or a more theoretical one, as in essay questions. For both you need to remember that EU law does not exist in isolation but is inextricably linked with the national legal systems of the Member States. The interaction between European law and these systems is crucial to understanding how EU law works. EU law is often considered in a political context and this has become very apparent in the UK following the referendum in June 2016 and the vote for ‘Brexit’. At te time of writing Brexit negotiations are continuing and for now EU law applies as it always has in the UK. Recognising that your political stance is likely to influence your views on EU law is valuable and something which can make your answers stronger, particularly in relation to questions on historical, constitutional or institutional issues.

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