The project focuses on the concept of Integrated Product Policy (IPP) as outlined in the European Commission’s Communication of June 2003. The IPP concept gives rise to complex legal, political and policy questions.The project has 4 core objectives: 1. Explore the political and legal implications of the Commission’s proposal on the future development and implementation of product policies aimed at promoting more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. 2. Analyze the implications of the Commission’s proposal on IPP on the current body of European law and policies, in the light of the EC Treaty and the acquis communautaire. 3.Clarify the relations between the IPP concept, as proposed by the Commission, and the objectives and principles of EU environmental policy and sustainable development. 4. Analyze the impact of the proposed IPP approach on the role of public authorities in the policy process at the European and national (Belgium) level.