Basics of Administrative Law The organization and activity of public administration

1. To get familiar with the most important environmental problems, and with the legal instruments and techniques that try to solve them. 2.- To identify and to understand the sources and the structure of Spanish Environmental Law. 3. To find, to interpret and to apply the environmental principles and the most important pieces of environmental legislation at national and regional level.

Unit 1.- Introduction to Spanish Environmental Law: concept, sources and principles.. Unit 2.- The structure of Spanish Environmental law. Evolution and constitutional foundations. Allocation of powers. Administrative organisation. Legal instruments and techniques most frequent in Spanish Environmental Law. Unit 3.- The "horizontal" instruments of environmental protection: environmental impact assessment; citizens rights in environmental matters; liability for environmental damage; IPPC. Unit 4.- The protection of waters. Legal regime of waters as an ecological good. Planning and management of water resources. Environmental quality for waters and the fight against pollution: regulation and permits for discharges Unit 5.- The protection of air. Atmospheric pollution; most important problems in the field. Regulatory framework and key legal rules. The protection of the air: environmental quality standards and emissions standards. Plans, permits and sanctions. Special focus on climate change Unit 6.- The management of waste. The concept of waste. Legal regime. Allocation of powers in the matter. Planning and management of waste. Administrative sanctions. Unit 7.- The protection of nature. European, national and regional legislation in the matter. Protection of species of flaura and fauna. Protecting natural areas: most important tools and instruments..

The learning process is based on a practice-oriented education. Therefore, regular lectures will be supplemented with in-class analysis and discussion of cases and materials, which will facilitate the understanding and application of the legal concepts. Therefore, the teaching activities are divided into "lecture type" sessions (in large group) and case-oriented sessions (in small groups). The activities carried out in small groups is called continuous assessment (evaluación continua) 1. In the lecturing sessions, the professor will present the general concepts and ideas, the main tools and instruments for the protection of the environment. 2. Case-oriented sessions will provide a practical approach to the different topics, through the analysis and discussion of real cases or selected reading materials. In the small groups, the curricular activities might also include "multiple choice" tests or other types of exams, covering a part of the course program. Those activities will be duly announced by the professor in the "Aula Global" electronic website of the course.