A Green New Deal for Europe: Towards Green Modernisation in the Face of Crisis

The report reveals that the recovery packages launched in the European Union are lagging behind those of the United States and Asia, and it presents evidence to demonstrate the economic and employment potential of a Green New Deal. The report takes a pragmatic approach in the sense that it focuses primarily on how to ‘green’ immediate recovery activi‐ties in specific economic areas, and how to support the creation of framework conditions which initiate a dynamic for ecological modernisation and structural change. It also identifies key elements for the implementation of a Green New Deal.

The report shows that the EU and its Member States have many of the ingredients needed to deliver an effective Green New Deal. What is lacking is political determination and leader‐ship. No scientific study can help overcome this. Only a political strategy that can command widespread support and puts pressure on the institutions and on political actors to change direction can do so. The case studies presented in this report show that the development of eco‐industries in some Member States depends on a societal consensus regarding key as‐pects of sustainability and a determined government which is able to set and enforce high environmental standards.