Subsidiarity as a Constitutional Principle in Environmental Policy

The principle of subsidiarity has become more widely known with its prominent adoption in the Maastricht Treaty. The principle is, however, deeply embedded in the history of political economy, notably in the continental European tradition. In this tradition, it has the status of a principle in constitutional political economy, i.e. it is a principle that affects policy design as opposed to policy choice. This article emphasizes the constitutional political economy aspect of the principle and illustrates its usefulness with respect to environmental policy design.