KomUR - Network of Competences on Future Challenges of Environmental Law
The Network of Competence of Future Challenges of Environmental Law (KomUR) is a joint project by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and six German Universities funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) for the period 2019 to 2026. It aims to strengthen collaboration in environmental law research within Germany and, in particular, to expand connection with European and international counterparts.
It provides funding for 13 PhDs and fosters exchange through a wide range of activities, including international workshops, conferences, publications, and short-term research stays with international partners. The network is coordinated by the UFZ-Department for Environmental and Planning Law at the Helmholtz - Centre for Environmental Research. Partners institutions include the Universities of Bonn (Prof. Dr. Dr. Wolfgang Durner), Freie Universität Berlin (Prof. Dr. Christian Calliess), Bremen (Prof. Dr. Claudio Franzius), Greifswald (Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlacke), Leipzig (Prof. Dr. Kurt Faßbender), and Osnabrück (Prof. Dr. Pascale Cancik). Moreover, the network is supported by 15 distinguished international competence partners and form parts of the BMFTR funding program ‘Research for Sustainability - FONA’.
The network advances environmental law in line with sustainability objectives, focusing onkey challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of water, soil and natural resources. Its research adopts a comparative perspective across international, Euroepan, and national legal frameworks, with the aim of identifying innovative regulatory approaches and assessing their transferatibility. Key research areas include:
- integrating long-term sustainability objectives into legal frameworks, alongside new approaches to implementation planning and adaptive governance,
- analysing of implementation gaps and strengthening enforcement in both executive and judicial contexts,
- examining the scope and effectiveness of sustainability and environmental rights and rights of nature,
- enhancing transparency, public participation and access to justice (Aarhus pillars),
- addressing uncertainty, risk, and scientific projections in legal decision-making,
- analysing digitalization as both a risk and an opportunity for environmental protection,
- promoting policy integration under Article 11 TEU, with a focus on agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy,
- advancig international environmental law, including initiatives such as the Global Pact for the Environment,
- developing frameworks for liability and compensation in cases of transboundary environmental harm,
- integrating sustainability objectives into international trade regimes,
- strengthening transnational environmental governance, norms and regulatory approaches.
KomUR News
KomUR European Workshop
On 18–19 September 2025, the KomUR European Expert Workshop was held at Freie Universität Berlin, bringing together leading European environmental law experts to discuss current challenges and transformative governance approaches.
The workshop focused on pressing legal challenges and transformative governance strategies in European and international environmental law. Particular attention was given to the rights of nature and their potential to reshape existing legal frameworks. Further topics included the interplay between environmental and property rights in the EU, ongoing efforts to streamline regulatory frameworks, sustainable development in EU external action, and the opportunities and risks associated with digitalisation in environmental governance.
The presentations were followed by in-depth discussions, highlighting the importance of sustained international exchange. The workshop made a significant contribution to the development legal approaches to global environmental challenges, while further strengthening collaboration within the KomUR network.
12th EELF Annual Conference 2025
From 10 to 12 September 2025, the 12th Environmental Law Conference of the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF) was Held in Ghent. Organized by Ghent University, the conference focused on the theme “Climate adaptation and resilience: legal avenues to prepare Europe for survival in a hothouse world.”
The KomUR network was represented at the conference, where doctoral researchers presented their work and contributed valuable perspectives to the discussions. The conference highlighted climate adaptation as a key societal and legal challenge affect ing all levels of legislation and administration. It further underscored the importance of fostering synergies between climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and nature-based solutions, as well as the need to use scientific knowledge as a foundation for forward-looking strategies.
Overall, the event made clear that, in a rapidly warming world, a stronger emphasis on climate adaptation is indispensable. At the same time, it emphasized that legal frameworks alone are insufficient to effectively address the associated risks.
4th International Online Workshop for Environmental Law PhD Students
On June 16, 2025, the “4th International Online Workshop for Environmental Law PhD Students” took place.
The event was jointly organized by the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF), the European Law Institute (ELI), the Faculty of Law at the University of Opole (Poland), the Faculty of Law at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), KomUR, and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ.
The workshop offered PhD students an excellent opportunity to present their dissertation projects and to engage in in-depth discussions with internationally renowned scholars.
11th EELF Annual Conference 2024
From August 28 to 30, the 11th Environmental Law Conference of the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF) was held in Groningen. The event was organized by the Groningen Centre of Energy Law and Sustainability (GCELS) at the University of Groningen and focused on the theme “Sustainable Energy: Still United in Diversity? Integrating energy, climate and environmental law in times of geopolitical instability.”
The conference addressed recent legal developments in the field of sustainable energy in Europe. Discussions covered a wide range of legal aspects related to energy production, infrastructure, consumption, and efficiency were discussed, as well as their intersections with nature conservation, water management, circular economy, product design, and other relevant regulatory areas.
The KomUR network was also represented at the conference. Doctoral researchers from the network presented their work, thereby contributing valuable perspectives to the discussions.
3rd International Online Workshop for Environmental Law PhD Students
The 3rd International Online Workshop for Environmental Law PhD Students was held on April 26, 2024. The event was organized in cooperation with the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF), the European Law Institute (ELI), the Faculty of Law at the University of Opole (Poland), the Faculty of Law at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), KomUR, and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ).
The workshop provided PhD students with an excellent opportunity to present their dissertation projects and engage in discussions with internationally renowned scholars.