Law Commons^™

The European Union: An Appropriate Model For A Precautionary Approach?, Linda O'Neil Coleman

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment will argue that the current use and application of the precautionary principle should not be abandoned. However, before adopting the principle as a rule of international law, the international community should look to the European Union as a starting point for how to uniformly define and apply the precautionary principle. Accordingly, Part II of this Comment will examine the various formulations of the precautionary principle and the widespread adoption of a precautionary approach in a number of international instruments. Part III will describe the European Union's use of the principle and its attempt to balance environmental and public …