Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material / Marco Onida -- Introduction / Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo -- Environmental Governance in the EU / Ludwig Krämer -- Environmental Governance in the United States / LeRoy Paddock and Jennifer Bowmar -- Environmental Governance in Germany / Gerd Winter -- Environmental Governance in Switzerland / Nicolas Schmitt -- Environmental Governance in Spain / Agustín García-Ureta and Iñaki Lasagabaster -- Environmental Governance in Italy / Emanuela Orlando -- Environmental Governance in the United Kingdom / Colin T. Reid and Andrea Ross -- Environmental Governance in France / Alexandre Boiret -- Environmental Governance in Poland / Barbara Iwanska , Paweł Czepiel and Marcin Stoczkiewcz -- Environmental Governance in the Western Balkans / Olivera Kujundzic -- Water Management and Protection in the EU / Elisa Morgera -- Water Management and Protection in the USA / LeRoy Paddock and Lea Colasuonno -- Water Management and Protection in Germany / Wolfgang Köck -- Water Management and Protection in Switzerland / David Furger -- Water Management and Protection in Spain / Jorge Agudo González -- Water Management and Protection in Italy / Mariachiara Alberton and Ekaterina Domorenok -- Water Management and Protection in the UK / Sarah Hendry -- Water Management and Protection in France / Armelle Gouritin -- Water Management and Protection in Poland / Barbara Iwanska , Paweł Czepiel and Marcin Stoczkiewcz -- Water Management and Protection in the Western Balkans / Olivera Kujundzic -- Concluding Remarks / Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo -- List of Contributors / Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo -- Annex One: Questionnaire / Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo -- Index / Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo.

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The book describes and analyses how environmental issues are regulated in several federal, regional and unitary systems and in the European Union. The comparative analysis reveals common trends towards a multi-layered environmental governance, cross-cutting traditional distinctions among different state models. In the second part, the case study of the management and protection of water resources is selected and analysed in the same legal systems. Disaggregating environmental protection into more specific competence fields allows trends and challenges to be tested The book casts light on the relationship between the state models as to the division of powers and environmental governance. It develops theoretical and practical foundations of contemporary, multi-level environmental law and challenges consolidated approaches in federal studies.