Pays de Galles et développement durable : « un modèle pour d’autres régions et pays» ?  

Abstract

The Government of Wales Act 1998, which set up an assembly for Wales with, originally, secondary legislative powers, made Wales the first country in Europe to include sustainable development in its founding document. Phil Williams, Plaid Cymru AM, considered that such a decision would allow Wales to become an environmental model and to gain in visibility. Yet, during its first years, the Assembly, flawed from the outset by its limited powers, was not seen as very successful. In 2011 the Assembly was granted full law-making powers in all devolved areas, allowing the voting of two major environmental acts – the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act in 2015 and the Environment (Wales) Act the following year – putting Wales in the limelight. This article aims at analysing these two acts voted by the Welsh Assembly, assessing their implementation and indicating whether Wales has gained visibility on this question despite the conflicts between its theory and practice. Finally the perspective of Brexit, which puts the country in a paradoxical legislative position, will be examined.

Keywords

• Wales
• sustainable development
• environment