Introduction

Abstract

The environment and its protection represent a global challenge for which the European Union needs tools for effective management, with a view to achieving an objective that has been outlined for decades, and which is connected to more generic initiatives such as One Health and Global Health, included in the European Union’s Action Plan: Zero pollution for air, water and soil (adopted in 2021). In this line of action, several of the contributions in this issue focus on current crucial issues of major concern to the European Union. The challenge posed by armed conflicts, also for the environment, is highlighted in the paradigmatic case of Ukraine, following the events that have taken place since February 2022, with the invasion by Russia. The consequences of this war have become evident in the European Union, in practically all areas, including security, energy and also the environment, forming an inextricably linked axis of related matters. As a consequence of the necessary changes to be adopted at the EU in the middle-long term, the re-evaluation and modernization of directives related to the environment is perceived as a necessity. The test case of the bathing water quality regulation in the EU is an example; it may be considered as a minor issue, although its implications are relevant, with economic and health dimensions in the European regional context. With the Aarhus Convention (on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters) as backdrop and the idea of climate justice, the role of the European Union in this scenario will also be the focus of attention. All this, in the context of the MESESA Research Project, of which the undersigned is the Main Researcher. The present volume of Cuadernos Europeos contains, among others, some of the contributions of its members.