The principle of sustainable development is a core pillar of the EU's international action. It underpins the EU trade policy, characterizing the innovative reform proposals at the WTO, the new generation of free trade agreements, the negotiating positions on international investment law, the approach to UN environment summits, and the EU's autonomous measures enforcing international rules in the light of the Lisbon Treaty values. Thanks to the European Green Deal, sustainability issues lead the EU energy and climate policies. In addition, the UN 2030 Agenda, together with the international voluntary codes for enterprises, form the basis of the new EU regulatory framework that companies must comply with, making them protagonists in ensuring global supply chains that respect human rights and the environment.
SustainEUorPlanet proposes an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the EU's international policies and legal frameworks directed to economic and social fairness, respect for the environment, access to clean energy and essential goods, while looking for security to overcome geopolitical tensions and asymmetries. With a high-profile Coordinator and team, the Project has a twofold purpose. On one side, it offers a set of activities envisaging to form a ruling and academic class of excellence, while involving EU, national and international civil servants, politicians, NGOs, the local business and public administration. On the other side, SustainEUorPlanet shows the leading role of the EU as a global actor in constantly promoting a sustainability agenda for trade, environment, energy and climate policies, highlighting the importance of economic operators' accountability and the relevance that EU citizens can have in shaping and enforcing EU's external tools through participation and transparency.