The European Green Deal – a portrait of a “green Europe” in a changing geopolitical landscape

Abstract

This article stems from concerns regarding the new direction of European climate and environmental policy and addresses the urgent challenge of reconciling the legal and political aspirations of the European Green Deal (EGD) with the current reconfiguration of priorities within the European Union (EU) as it faces a changing geopolitical and economic context. The imperatives of competitiveness and growth are now taking precedence, with the EU focusing on regulatory “simplification.” The objective is to verify whether this apparent regulatory weakening – particularly stemming from the “Omnibus Packages” – undermines the integrity of the EGD’s regulatory framework and favours deregulation processes, associated with a decrease in climate and environmental protection levels. A case is made for the adoption of resilient regulatory policies, based on simplification focused on quality, regulatory integration, reduction of administrative asymmetries, strengthening of popular participation, and more robust mechanisms against regulatory backsliding, as a way to preserve the EU’s sustainable leadership without sacrificing the levels of environmental protection that guarantee the planet’s resilience.