The Geopoliticization of EU Climate Policy: The European Green Deal's Evolution from a Cohesion to a Competitiveness Strategy
Author
Antunes de Oliveira Rica Goncalves, Altinino Tomas
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-29
Pages
83
Abstract
This thesis examines how the European Green Deal shifted from a project to promote regional cohesion into a strategy for geopolitical and economic competitiveness. Grounded in Historical Institutionalism—a way of studying how institutions change over time—the study challenges the idea that major shifts require new treaties. Instead, it shows the EU made this pivot through institutional conversion: reusing existing rules and funding tools for new purposes while leaving formal treaty provisions intact on paper. Using qualitative content analysis of EU laws, strategic communications, and institutional reports, the research traces three shifts: finance, budget, and regulation. Finance: the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) spread a “cash for reforms” model. Budget: parts of the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are being centralized around National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). Regulation: the Single Market rulebook is used more defensively through acts such as the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) and the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). Together, these changes flatten multi-level governance by reducing regional autonomy and strengthen the European Commission’s top-down steering of member states. The thesis concludes that institutional resilience today depends on how flexibly existing frameworks can be interpreted and repurposed, enabling a historically decentralized actor to quickly build a more protected geopolitical and economic stance from within.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan EU har ændret den Europæiske Green Deal fra et projekt, der skulle styrke sammenhængen mellem regioner, til en strategi for geopolitisk og økonomisk konkurrence. Udgangspunktet er historisk institutionalisme, en tilgang der ser på, hvordan institutioner ændrer sig over tid. Afhandlingen udfordrer forestillingen om, at store kursændringer kræver nye traktater, og viser i stedet, at EU gennemførte skiftet via institutionel konvertering: at genanvende eksisterende regler og finansielle instrumenter til nye formål, mens de formelle traktatregler forblev uændrede på papiret. Gennem kvalitativ analyse af EU-lovtekster, strategiske meddelelser og institutionsrapporter følger studiet tre forandringer: økonomi, budget og regulering. Økonomi: Genopretnings- og Resiliensfaciliteten (RRF) udbredte en model for “penge for reformer”. Budget: dele af den flerårige finansielle ramme 2028–2034 (MFF) centraliseres omkring nationale og regionale partnerskabsplaner (NRPPs). Regulering: det indre markeds regelsæt anvendes mere defensivt gennem retsakter som Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) og det reviderede vedvarende energidirektiv (RED III). Samlet set flader disse ændringer den flerstrengede styring af EU ud ved at mindske regional autonomi og styrker Europa-Kommissionens topstyrede styring af medlemsstaterne. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at institutionel robusthed i dag især beror på, hvor fleksibelt eksisterende rammer kan fortolkes og genbruges, så en historisk decentral aktør hurtigt kan opbygge en mere beskyttet geopolitisk og økonomisk position indefra.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]