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A Lasting Paradigm Shift? : The EU’s Approach to Sustainable Development after the European Green Deal
Baars, Thies (2025) A Lasting Paradigm Shift? : The EU’s Approach to Sustainable Development after the European Green Deal.
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| Abstract: | Since the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, sustainable development (SD) has been progressively embedded within the EU's policy portfolio. The most comprehensive approach for enhancing SD is the European Green Deal (EGD) which represents a shift in the EU’s SD discourse as it prioritises the environmental pillar of SD and frames economic and social measures as conductive to overarching environmental objectives. This novel approach signifies a paradigm shift, thereby empowering pro-environmental actors. However, following the EGD’s adoption, new, notably conservative, actors entered the EU institutions, resulting in a recalibration of power relations. This thesis investigates whether the prioritisation of the environmental pillar of SD prevailed after the EGD. A critical discourse analysis of the EU’s key strategies after the 2024 European Parliament elections reveals that the paradigm of the EGD did not prevail. This is evidenced by a shift in both the extent to which environmental measures are emphasised in the SD discourse, and a shift in the manner environmental, social, and economic measures are integrated. This shift is characterised by a prioritisation of economic measures over environmental ones. Consequently, economic growth and competitiveness are framed as key objectives in the EU’s SD discourse, thereby empowering actors in the economic field. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 89 political science |
| Programme: | Management Society and Technology BSc (56654) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107545 |
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