Working with the European Union

The European Union has a powerful influence on environmental policy and regulation, with around 80% of environmental legislation being derived from EU law. SNH contributes to the development of environmental legislation through the European Commission, or via the Scottish or UK Government, ensuring it is relevant to the Scottish situation. Many environmental issues, such as climate change and invasive alien species, transcend national boundaries and require coordinated international action.  SNH also has responsibilities and interests regarding the UK's signatory to various international agreements relating to nature conservation.

The Scottish Government's Action Plan on European Engagement  calls for greater pro-active engagement with Europe within a broad coordinated approach to raise the profile of Scotland in Europe and influence issues affecting Scotland. The long-term EU political objectives of direct relevance to the work of SNH relate to: Agriculture; EU energy policy; and the EU budget review.

Our European & International Action Plan - currently being updated - describes our strategic approach and action plan for European and international engagement.