EU Sustainability Policies at Home and Abroad
The European Green Deal: Shifting the EU's gaze towards the future?
This chapter investigates the transformative nature of the European Green Deal (EGD) by assessing the shortsightedness of the 2020 Package, the 2030 Framework, and the EGD. Specifically, the chapter examines the roles of the main EU institutions (European Commission, Council of the EU, and European Parliament) during policy formulation by focusing on the level of shortsightedness. The chapter applies a previously developed shortsightedness framework to the legislative packages and the institutions’ positions. The framework consists of four indicators: (1) The extent to which the targets are in line with science-based long-term objectives; (2) the stringency of the legislation; (3) the adaptability of the legislation; and (4) the presence of long-term thinking in the legislation. Overall, the chapter concludes that the EGD is not as transformative as portrayed by the Commission but rather a continuation of existing trends. The chapter confirms the image of the European Parliament as an ‘environmental champion’ as many of the farsighted aspects of EU climate policy correlate with the Parliament's position. While the shortsightedness of the Council's and the Commission's positions fluctuates over time, the Council has been the most shortsighted.
This chapter is part of the book "Making the European Green Deal Work: EU Sustainability Policies at Home and Abroad"
This book critically analyses different dimensions in the sustainable transitions outlined by the European Green Deal, focusing on both internal actions and external relations and highlighting the EU’s diverging powers and capabilities in achieving the core objectives.
As with the Green Deal itself, the chapters cover different policies including financial instruments, energy policies, climate policies and external policies and apply the ideal-type logics of appropriateness and consequences to analyse sustainable transformations. The variety of the cases contribute to a broad understanding of how different actors interpret and implement the aims of the European Green Deal, including especially those lagging behind, who, for various reasons, are struggling with the sustainable transition. From examining their policies, the book illuminates the challenges and opportunities they are facing. Overall, the contributions address key questions surrounding the EU’s powers and limits in inducing transformative change and implementing the European Green Deal.