I. SUBJECT DESCRIPTION
II. SUBJECT REQUIREMENTS
III. COURSE CURRICULUM
SUBJECT DATA
OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
TESTING AND ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING PERFORMANCE
THEMATIC UNITS AND FURTHER DETAILS
Subject name
Environmental and Regional Politics of the EU
ID (subject code)
BMEGT42A007
Type of subject
contact unit
Course types and lessons
Type
Lessons
Lecture
2
Practice
0
Laboratory
0
Type of assessment
mid-term grade
Number of credits
2
Subject Coordinator
Name
Szalmáné Dr. Csete Mária
Position
associate professor
Contact details
csete.maria@gtk.bme.hu
Educational organisational unit for the subject
Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainability
Subject website
Language of the subject
magyar - HU
Curricular role of the subject, recommended number of terms
Direct prerequisites
Strong
None
Weak
None
Parallel
None
Exclusion
None
Validity of the Subject Description
Approved by the Faculty Board of Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Decree No: 5881478/13/2024 registration number. Valid from: 11.12.2024.

Objectives

The course aims to present the role and history, main elements and changing set of tools as well as present practices and principles of the environmental and regional policy of the European Union.

Academic results

Knowledge
  1. The student knows the concept, theory and relationship of environmental and regional policies with other policies;
  2. knows the objectives of environmental and regional policies in the European Union;
  3. knows the principles of environmental and regional policies and the characteristics of their development;
  4. knows the the implementation tools of environmental and regional policy in the European Union.
Skills
  1. The student is able to form a personal opinion in topics of environmental and regional policies;
  2. to see the environmental and regional political connections of EU co-financed projects.
Attitude
  1. The student cooperates with the lecturer and other students;
  2. strives to understand the complex systems;
  3. strives to make their decisions taking into account technical, economic and social aspects.
Independence and responsibility
  1. The student independently selects and applies the relevant problem-solving and analytical methods in solving the analytical tasks belonging to their field;
  2. feels responsible for achieving environmental and regional policies;
  3. feels responsible for taking greater account of environmental-related and social aspects.

Teaching methodology

Lectures, problem statements, written and oral communication. Achievement of objectives in the framework of lectures.

Materials supporting learning

  • Előadás-anyagok / Lecture slides
  • Kengyel Ákos (szerk.): Az Európai Unió közös politikái. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 2010. (IX. fejezet. Környezetpolitika).
  • Az EU VII. Környezetvédelmi Cselekvési Programja (2013-2020). /”Jólét bolygónk felélése nél-kül”/. ec.europa.eu/environment/newprg/index.htm
  • Illés Iván: Regionális gazdaságtan. Területfejlesztés. Typotex Kiadó, Budapest. 2008 (3., 4. feje-zet)
  • Rechnitzer János, Smahó Melinda: Területi politika. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 2011 (III. rész)
  • Wallerstein, I. M. (2004). World-systems analysis: An introduction. Durham: Duke University Press.
  • Hey, C. (2007) III. EU Environmental Policies: A short history of the policy strategies. EU Environmental Policy Handbook. [EU Commission - Working Document] online: http://aei.pitt.edu/98675/
  • Ijjas, I. (2016) Good Practices for Integrated Water Resources Management in EU and Hungary, Hungarian Journal of Hydrology Vol. 96. No. 3. 2016

General Rules

The learning outcomes stated in point 2.2. are evaluated based on summative assessments (two mid-term exams) during the study period.

Performance assessment methods

Detailed description of the performance evaluations carried out during the study period: 1. Summative assessments: a complex, written evaluation of the knowledge and ability-type competence elements of the subject in the form of two mid-term exams. The mid-term exams focus on the assessment of the acquired knowledge and its application, so in addition to the precise knowledge of the concepts, the focus is on problem recognition and -solutions. The course material on which the evaluation is based on is determined by the lecturer of the subject.

Percentage of performance assessments, conducted during the study period, within the rating

  • 1st summative assessment: 50
  • 2nd summative assessment: 50
  • Total: 100

Percentage of exam elements within the rating

Conditions for obtaining a signature, validity of the signature

-

Issuing grades

%
Excellent 90-100
Very good 80–89
Good 70–79
Satisfactory 60–69
Pass 50–59
Fail 0–49

Retake and late completion

1) Pursuant to the current CoS, each summative assessment can be retaken, repeated or completed late. 2) The summative assessments can be retaken, repeated or completed late for the first time during the late completion period free of charge. In the event of a retake, the new result always overwrites the old one. 3) If the student is unable to obtain a grade other than 'Fail' even with the retake, repeat and late completion possibilities according to point 1), they may make a second attempt to successfully complete the course after paying the fee specified in the regulations. 

Coursework required for the completion of the subject

Nature of work Number of sessions per term
Participation in contact lessons 24
Preparation for contact lessons 14
Preparation for summative assessments 22
Total 60

Approval and validity of subject requirements

Consulted with the Faculty Student Representative Committee, approved by the Vice Dean for Education, valid from: 04.11.2024.

Topics covered during the term

In order to achieve the learning outcomes set out at point 2.2, the subject consists of the following thematic blocks. In the syllabi of the courses announced in each semester, these topics are scheduled according to the calendar and other conditions.

Lecture topics
1. The fundamental elements of the approach to the examination of contemporary environmental problems: complexity and globality. Frameworks for international environmental thinking and action: cooperation within the UN. The most important stages of the cooperation in the 1970s and 1980s.
2. Activities of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development. The strategy of sustainable development. The UN II. World Conference on Environmental Protection. Rio documents. UN III. World Conference on Environmental Protection (2002. Johannesburg). International environmental protection cooperation at the beginning of the XXI. century.
3. Chronology of the development of the European Union's environmental policy. The reactive phase of the Community environmental policy (1957-1987) - the Community I-III. Environmental Protection Action Program (1973-1986).
4. The role of the Single European Document (1987), the proactive nature of environmental policy. ARC. Environmental Action Program (1987-1992). The V. Environmental Action Program of the EU (1993-2000) - towards sustainability. Goals and means.
5. VI. Environmental Action Program (2001-2010). The "integrative environmental protection" approach, the so-called Cardiff process.
6. VII of the EU Environmental Protection Action Program (2013-2020). The system of environmental regulation in the EU, comparison with domestic practice. Domestic harmonization of EU environmental legislation.
7. VIII of the EU Environmental Protection Action Program (2021-2030).
8. The content, basic goals, and relationship of regional policy with environmental policy and sectoral policies. The development of regional policy in individual European countries.
9. Stages and goals of European regional policy in individual countries. Grouping of countries according to the objective system of their regional policy. Concept and types of region. The necessity, early history and instruments of Community regional policy.
10. The effects of the 1973 and Mediterranean enlargements. The 1988 reform of the Community regional policy, its basic principles. The NUTS system.
11. Changes in the goal and instrument system of the cohesion policy in the 1990s.
12. Antecedents and effects of the 2004 enlargement. Current issues and possible future development directions. Evaluation of regional policy.

Additional lecturers

Name Position Contact details
Dr. Valkó László címzetes egyetemi tanár / honorary professor valko.laszlo@gtk.bme.hu
Csigéné Dr. Nagypál Noémi Éva egyetemi docens / associate professor csigene.noemi@gtk.bme.hu
Dr. Szabó Mariann egyetemi adjunktus / senior lecturer szabo.mariann@gtk.bme.hu
Beszedics-Jäger Bettina Szimonetta tudományos segédmunkatárs / research fellow jager.szimonetta@gtk.bme.hu

Approval and validity of subject requirements