It is not exaggeration to suggest that the Green Deal is the farthest reaching environmental policy initiative ever undertaken by the European Commission.
The integration of sustainability into every pillar of the EU’s activities, from industrial strategy to development aid, is what many have advocated for years.
The question now is whether the Commission can follow through on its ambitious work programme, and how well will its unified vision survive the inevitable bruises of co-decision.
Despite being delivered less than two weeks after the von der Leyen Commission took its seats, the Communication is clearly the work of a detailed review of almost every area of EU competence.
To that end, there is clearly some repackaging of existing workstreams (on sustainable finance, for example, there is little new to be found in the Communication), however that is not to say it lacks originality or ambition.
We have looked at all the policy initiatives coming up in the next 2 years, and mapped them all for you. Feel free to email us to receive the full size version of the timeline.
