Voorsorteren op weg naar een duurzame toekomst: bestuurlijke aanpassingen en keuzen in de Europese Unie

Louise van Schaik, Marcel Kok & Maarten Hajer argue that the EU can play an impor¬tant role in promoting sustainable development, countering global warming, protecting biodiversity and reducing poverty. They do this by analysing the strategic orientation and the EU's administrative capabilities on these topics. The European goals for 2050 are ambitious and the way leading to them is not without difficulties. First of all, as a non-state actor, the EU has limited legislative powers. European policy has to share its place with national policy and there is no clear indicator what the combined effect of both is. Furthermore, the lack of European legitimacy makes it unlikely for the EU to take drastic measures which have an impact on the personal life of the average European. Apart from these drawbacks decision making in the EU is done on the basis of consensus and with a limited number of instruments within a divided governance structure. Although difficult, the authors conclude that action has to be taken quickly for the EU to reach its sustainable development goals.