Abstract

In November 2007, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment introduce a preliminary bill (Referentenentwurf) regarding the Environmental Code (Umweltgesetzbuch, UGB-RefE), representing a fundamental step towards the codification of German environmental law. The final bill (UGB 2009) will probably be passed this year and come into effect in 2010.

For political reasons and in the interest of time, the UGB-RefE does not address every field of environmental law. Instead, a step-by-step codification process was chosen. The UGB 2009 will contain six books (Bücher). Additional measures will be debated and passed after 2009.

While current standards will not be fundamentally altered, the principles of environmental protection have been set forth in a comprehensive manner, and an integrated permit (Integrierte Vorhabengenehmigung) will be introduced as the new central instrument of environmental regulation.

This article provides an overview of the regulations contained in the six books proposed by the UGB-RefE, covering general policies, water management, nature conservation, non-ionizing radiation, emissions trading and renewable energies. These areas represent a promising start towards a comprehensive environmental code, and potential benefits of codification can already be discerned.