The European Union Green Deal and Global Trade: A Constructivist Perspective on Sustainability Norms

Abstract

The European Union’s Green Deal (EGD) represents a comprehensive policy initiative targeting climate neutrality by 2050, and its influence is already permeating global trade dynamics. This research examines the EGD as a paradigm-shifting, sustainability-driven policy and explores its ramifications on international trade structures through a constructivist perspective. Two primary research questions guide the analysis: First, how could the EGD influence the global sustainability norms? Second, how do global trade actors respond to the sustainability norms of EGD? To address these questions, the authors use a diverse methodology, combining qualitative analysis, and extensive literature review. The research focus on particular events to mechanisms such as carbon tariffs, the promotion of sustainable trade practices, and the broader set of principles underpinning the EGD. It analyzes the ways in which these elements are either contested or adopted by actors within the global trading system. The findings indicate that, while the EGD poses significant challenges for the European Union, it simultaneously opens pathways for the diffusion of sustainability norms. Increasingly, global trade actors are engaging in processes of socialization, whether to align with or counter the EU’s vision for sustainable trade. In conclusion, this research contributes to the academic discourse on trade and sustainability by providing a constructivist interpretation of how sustainability norms are disseminated and transformed within the international trade system.