European Green Deal until 2024 and beyond: which vision and priorities?

The Think2030 Dialogue Sweden is one of several activities within the Think2030 platform, created by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) in 2018 to provide science-policy solutions for a more sustainable Europe.

As part of the Think2030 dialogue, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS) organized the session “European Green Deal 2024 and beyond: Vision and priorities for the EGD 2.0?” and this session brief summarizes the key take-aways from this session.

The Science & Policy session of the Think2030 Dialogue Sweden focused on the vision and priorities for the European Green Deal until 2024 and beyond. The discussion painted a picture of the Green Deal as it currently stands, pointing out a general high appreciation for its establishment, while also highlighting the need to keep high the ambition on the implementation of the measures (approved and to be approved) at the member state level. In order to realize this objective, some key priorities have been identified and proposed, as discussed by session participants.  

Key Messages 

• The European Green Deal was needed, and its relevance surprised many, not only because of its ambition and transformative impact, especially in the energy and climate sector, but also because of its resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the ensuing energy and global food crisis.  
• A focus on implementation will be key to deliver the current European Green Deal (and maybe even new ambitions within it). Due to uneven progress on the Green Deal agenda, a dual approach is needed: implementation without delays in the policy areas where greater progress was made (esp. climate and energy policy), and development of new files in the policy areas where progress was weaker (2040 climate targets, nature protection, chemicals, etc.).   
• An enhanced and improved communication of the benefits of the Green Deal will be paramount to raise awareness, understanding and shared ownership of the European Green Deal. All stakeholders interested in a strong Green Deal should get better at communicating its benefits, especially in view of the 2024 European elections.   
• The post-2024 European Green Deal will have to engage much more with stakeholders, and it might necessitate a new governance model, as well as taking into account how to build more capacity at the EU member state level for its implementation.