Environmental law
For many years now, numerous legislative approaches for protecting the environment have been adopted that go substantially beyond the simple granting or revoking of permits. Permits themselves – the granting of them, their maintenance on the sale or restructuring of a company and the consequences of their revocation – nevertheless play a very significant role for our clients. Our expertise covers the entire spectrum of environmental legislation, including the German Federal Immission Control Act (Bundesimmissionsschutzgesetz) and legal requirements relating to water supply and wastewater removal.
We also advise on liability risks and renovation requirements relating to existing contamination in the soil, groundwater or buildings.
Today, chemicals law is predominantly governed at EU level, via the REACH, CLP and Biocidal Products Regulations, for instance. Having advised leading waste-disposal and recycling companies, among others, we have also gained expertise in recycling law, which is equally increasingly being centralised at EU level.
Ultimately, environmental law plays a key role in climate protection and the German government's efforts to transform the supply of the energy market (Energiewende). We are, for instance, currently closely involved in issues relating to the trading of emission certificates, mining and nuclear law, as well as legal questions relating to all aspects of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz).
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News and insights
Publications: 27 March 2024
Increased Focus on Forced Labor in the U.S. and EU: Enforcement and Legislation
U.S. Customs authorities impounded thousands of vehicles, showing risks to imports linked to forced labor. The U.S. government detained thousands of luxury vehicles deemed to contain a small…
Publications: 27 March 2024
Hydrogen update Germany - new regulatory and market developments
Exciting times for hydrogen market participants in Germany – in the last months, a variety of new regulatory instruments and policy initiatives have been announced which will boost the ramp-up of the…
News: 27 March 2024
Allen & Overy advises SBI Group on its investment in Solaris
Allen & Overy has advised SBI Group, a leading Japanese financial services conglomerate, on its investment in Solaris SE, a CRR credit institution and Europe’s pioneer of embedded finance, as part of…
Publications: 15 December 2023
EU’s “Defence of Democracy” Package – new lobbying disclosure requirements to come?
On 12 December 2023, the European Commission adopted its “Defence of Democracy Package”, particularly in view of the upcoming elections for the European Parliament in 2024.