Module Structure

The core component of the EIEL module is represented by its teaching programme, which includes 50 hours of lectures and seminars on European and International Environmental Law to be hosted each year by the University of Siena (for a total of 150 hours over the three years of implementation).

The main objective of our teaching activities is to mainstream the study of European and international environmental law across four compulsory courses that are already offered by the Department of Law (i.e. Public International Law, European Union law, Environmental Sustainability Law, and EU Agricultural and Agri-business Law), making sure that these courses expand their treatment of aspects of EU environmental law that are relevant to the respective course subjects but not currently taught in class. For the EIEL lectures, a comprehensive set of teaching materials will be provided to the course participants through the module’s Moodle platform and updated before the beginning of each academic year.

The EIEL Module hosts an annual series of keynote lectures which are open to be public and touch on the most relevant issues and challenges in European and international environmental law and policy.

These 2-hour lectures build interest on the topic of the course among students but also more generally raise awareness in the general public about the importance of European environmental law and policy in the solution of environmental problems that require collective action within (and outside) the Union’s borders.

The module organises a yearly series of webinars to complement teaching activities, engage with practitioners, and foster debate with the general public.

Webinars are broadcasted live on EIEL’s YouTube channel, advertised through the module’s social media pages and uploaded to the website for permanent use. The webinars’ outputs also provide the basis for further dissemination activities (e.g. blog posts, joint policy papers) undertaken by the teaching staff.

Invitees include environmental law researchers, policymakers and practitioners, relying upon the networks of the teaching staff as well as on the opportunities arising from our collaboration with partner organisations.

A 2023 conference on the future of European environmental law will represent the culmination of project activities for the EIEL Module. It will be organized with the support of the Department of Law, the University of Siena and relevant partner organisations and will be open the public.

This 1-day conference will take place at the end of the second semester in the third year of the project, and will constitute an opportunity to foster the engagement of course participants, civil society representatives and the general public with leading experts and practitioners gathering to discuss recent developments and outstanding issues in the field of European environmental law and policy.

The EIEL teams plans to release at least two academic publications by the end of the project’s implementation. The first publication will be a journal article, to be published in a peer-reviewed specialistic journal, that will explore one or more key recent developments in European environmental law and policy in the wider context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The second publication will consist of an edited volume which will represent the culmination of the research and dissemination activities of the EIEL Module, gathering the contributions of the different experts and partner organisations that will participate in various ways during its implementation. The volume will aim to provide law students, researchers and scholars with a valuable resource that delves into the critical environmental issues of the new decade and their European and international law dimensions in a detailed yet accessible manner.