In recent years it can be said that the European Union (EU) has been a leader in sustainability policy and legislation. This success is nevertheless now being threatened by the new political cycle which risks pushing sustainability away from the center stage. It is crucial that sustainability remains at the heart of the coming EU policy in order to ensure that the long-term benefits can be enjoyed by the EU’s citizens.
The last political cycle of the EU (2019–2024) was extremely productive in terms of sustainability policy and legislation. On a policy level, the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen adopted the European Green Deal in 2019 with the goal of being the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. In practice, this means emitting at least 55 percent less net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. In addition to this, 3 billion trees are to be planted in the EU by 2030. This agenda enjoyed broad support from the European Parliament and the Member States of the European Union. This arguably led to the European Union and its partners being seen as forerunners in sustainability globally.
Several key legislations were successfully passed by the EU to give effect to these policy goals. In 2022 the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) was passed and started a process of obligating sustainability reporting on environmental, social and governance matters. In 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was adopted, which sets out the terms for due diligence processes with regards to human rights and environmental protection that large companies have to undertake everywhere in their supply chains. In addition to these overarching legislative projects, a plethora of additional legislation was produced such as the Batteries regulation, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and much more. While we have yet to see the full impact of this package of legislation, it promises a strong foundation for ensuring that a more sustainable economy will be achieved in the EU.
What does the European Commission intend to do next in terms of sustainability goals?
The European Commission recently published its political guidelines for the next mandate period, 2024-2029. In this document President Ursula von der Leyen lays out what is going to be the priority for the coming Commission. Some key priorities include the strengthening of the European economy under sustainable terms, and solidifying European security and defense, while also establishing the EU as a global player.
While reading through these priorities one might question whether sustainability is given its rightful position. This question arises especially when comparing this mandate’s guidelines with the previous guidelines, 2019-2024, where a green and sustainable transition was given top priority. Arguably the recently published political guidelines see that future sustainability legislation should be connected to the competitiveness of the European economy. This translates into future sustainability ambitions limited by competing economic ambitions.
Why has this change in stance on the importance of sustainability legislation come about? The simple answer lies in the turbulent changes on the European continent in the beginning of the 2020s, namely the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent energy crises and lastly the high inflation. The European economy, social order and security have changed as additional challenges have arrived. These new challenges have consequently changed the view on the need for future sustainability legislation.
Why sustainability legislation is the key towards a prosperous Europe and what the next steps could be
With the explained context of what originally were extremely ambitious sustainability aims and the subsequent changes to the European way of life in the 2020s, an important question now becomes what the next step should be for the sustainability agenda? Although many new challenges have arisen this does not take away the need for sustainability legislation. Without continued work on sustainability, the progress made in the last few years risks becoming undone. This may occur through, for example, increased emissions and decreased transparency. With the new challenges, however, it would be best to integrate the sustainability goals into the economic and defense plans. For example, ensuring that Europe is powered by both clean and strategically sourced energy is vital in order to create a stable future. Moreover, the goal of creating new jobs needs to be integrated with sustainability goals. Otherwise, these jobs will be disappearing after just a few decades as the fossil fuel resources diminish.
The next steps would be to make sure that the Commission’s delegated acts, the European Commission’s legislative tools, correspond with the ambitious plans of the previously established legislation. New legislation which expands upon or complements the existing legislation is also needed. The most important thing is that the European Commission continues the momentum that has been achieved so far by integrating sustainability into its other policies. This will be a challenge, but it will be necessary.
The work previously done in terms of sustainability policy and legislation has been extremely ambitious and in large parts successful. Although the European Commission does mention sustainability in its political guidelines for the future mandate, the importance is not nearly as clear as it should be. Sustainability questions must be given a high priority in the coming years in order to secure long-term prosperity. In addition to this, the sustainability goals can well be integrated into the responses to the new challenges concerning economic development and European security. Indeed, sustainability is integral to both economic development and security for the EU. The shift towards a sustainable future has truly never been as crucial as now. This deserves to be reflected in the legislative proposals of the coming years.
