IEEP UK's February 2025 Divergence newsletter
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IEEP UK Divergence Newsletter
Issue #12 | 17 February 2025
Welcome to our February Divergence newsletter. Recent weeks have seen a flurry of recent emerging developments related to EU/UK and intra-UK divergence in environmental law and policy, including the tribunal on the sandeels dispute, potential linkages between the EU and UK Emissions Trading Schemes, trade, chemicals, pesticides, marine pollution and much more.
At IEEP UK’s recent Annual Conference, Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh MP, joined a host of other speakers in exploring the UK’s relationship with the EU and what it can draw from the rest of Europe to meet Defra’s five priorities. Both the Minister and the Commission’s Claudia Fusco emphasised their desire for a closer working relationship, and it was the first time that the new Government commented publicly on its status with the European Environment Agency, amidst calls for the UK to seek to rejoin.
The UK Government has announced it will be creating a new national food strategy (for England), and IEEP UK’s Executive Director appeared on a recent episode of the BBC’s Food Programme to discuss the potential for this to have an impact where previous attempts have faltered, drawing on a forthcoming report that IEEP UK has contributed to looking at national approaches to food policy across Europe. This new report will be the subject of an IEEP UK webinar on the 24 March, chaired by BBC’s Sheila Dillon.
The House of Lords Environment and Climate Committee recently launched an inquiry into nitrogen which saw IEEP UK’s senior fellow, David Baldock, give oral evidence at the launch, drawing on last year’s report which drew on potential solutions from across Europe to help Government meet its own targets for reducing nitrogen loss/pollution.
[News] Sandeels, trade and chemicals… summarising recent developments in UK-EU environmental policy divergence
In one of the few areas of post-Brexit environmental policy where the UK has flexed its newfound policy making muscles in favour of the environment, an arbitration panel was convened on 28 January to hear the first of its kind; a dispute between the EU and UK, as part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
[News] Minister Mary Creagh announces ambition for the UK to work closely with the EU to address global environmental challenges
Speaking at the annual conference of the Institute for European Environmental Policy UK (IEEP UK) on 22 January 2025, Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh MP stated that “When tackling the impacts of climate change, nature loss and pollution, the shared values and interests of the United Kingdom and the European Union will provide the strategic driver for stronger cooperation. This government cannot meet the UK’s ambitious environmental targets without working in partnership.”
In other news...
[Event] Join our webinar on National Food Strategies
On 24 March 2025 (14.00-15.30 GMT), IEEP UK will be hosting a webinar on National Food Strategies across Europe – examining what England can learn as the Government develops its new food strategy. Chaired by BBC’s Sheila Dillon, the webinar will hear from IDDRI, AGORA, IEEP UK and other organisations.
IEEP UK is recruiting for an Air Quality Senior Policy Analyst – if you know of any good candidates, please share with them.
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