Governments, companies, environmental associations and citizens all over the European Union (EU) are struggling with large scale projects. On the one hand large scale projects can contribute to economic development, on the other hand they often also raise environmental concerns. Because of their size and potential impact, large scale projects usually lead to heavy debates and quickly become of great symbolic value. Consequently, large scale projects are excellent examples of the difficulty to balance economic development with environmental protection.The types of large scale projects, planned as well as under construction in the EU, are very diverse. One can think of all kinds of infrastructure projects (motorways, railways, waterways, stations, ports, airports,...), building projects (offices, housing projects, sports stadiums, redevelopment of brownfields,...), waste projects (incineration, landfill,...), energy projects (electricity and gas networks, wind farms, biogas installations, heat networks, extraction projects,...), climate projects (CDM projects,...), water projects, etc.In order to promote the legal thinking about all kinds of environmental and planning law aspects of large scale projects, Hasselt University and KU Leuven, Campus Brussels jointly hosted from 10 to 12 September 2014 the second European Environmental Law Forum (EELF) Conference, with as central topic ''Environmental and Planning Law Aspects of Large Scale Projects''. The conference focused more specifically on the following aspects:- The role of spatial and environmental planning- Permitting and review procedures- Critical sectoral regimes- Horizontal measuresThis book offers a selection of the contributions presented at the EELF Conference. They have all been submitted to two double-blind peer reviews.The book is subdivided into six main themes:1. General2. Public participation3. Environmental impact assessment4. Water5. Nature6. Land use

The book addresses the most pertinent theoretical and practical issues affecting the broad topic of harmonisation in the fields of environmental and energy law in a comprehensive and critical manner. In this respect, it constitutes a timely and meaningful contribution to the ongoing debate on the conceptual underpinnings, legal techniques and sector-specific problems concerned, while enriching the debate and promoting a more enhanced, coordinated regime to tackle environmental and energy issues in the European Union. Environmental legislation is often incoherent and fragmented, creating hurdles to its effective application. Consequently, rule makers need to resort to harmonisation, which is seen as referring to a number of techniques and instruments that all aim to clarify rules and establish a more coherent and solid legal framework. The book examines the merits of this approach within the context of the European Green Deal and the increasing urgency of the environmental and climate crisis, as well as the obstacles encountered and the questions arising from these complex processes. By bringing together more than fifteen renowned experts in the fields of European environmental and energy law, this book aims to dissect the most critical aspects of and obstacles in the process of strengthening coordination and, ultimately, effectiveness of the existing legal regimes in the field of environmental and energy law in the European Union while sparking further research in the field. Harmonisation in EU Environmental and Energy Law is highly recommended reading for legal scholars specialising in European environmental and energy law, as well as practitioners working in these fields.