Das Vorsorgeprinzip im EU-Recht

Since the end of the last decade, the precautionary principle has become the central principle of European health and environmental protection law. The principle justifies and demands the adoption of protective measures in situations of uncertainty as to the existence or extent of risks to human health and the environment. The study analyzes the scope of this principle in European Union law. Birger Arndt first outlines the status and the meaning of the precautionary principle in the member states. In the main part of the work, he analyzes the development, meaning, scope of application, functions and preconditions of the principle in European Union law. In conclusion, he outlines the limits established by WTO law to risk management in European health and environmental law and the influence it has on the definition and scope of the precautionary principle.