ABSTRACT
The European Union (EU) was founded in 1951, with the creation of its predecessor institution, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). At that time, Europe was still suffering from two previous world wars, which had killed millions of people and left the continent in a terrible condition. As outlined in the book’s introduction, the ECSC’s objective was not only the production of important resources, but primarily the promotion of peace and prosperity in Europe (Schuman, 1950). These ideas have served as the founding values of the community ever since. Moreover, they created a lot of acceptance within the European population, which often created democratic legitimacy for the European project. Consequently, peace and prosperity were also drivers for European integration. However, there are signs that indicate a decline in the importance of those ideas. Recent events, such as the failed EU constitution process in 2005 and the United Kingdom voting in favouring of leaving the Union in 2016, caused serious problems for the European integration process. This chapter examines whether the European environmental conscience (Hoerber, 2013) might become peace and prosperity’s successor as the driving force for European integration. Even Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated those changing ideals for European integration when she introduced the “Green Deal” – a strategy paper which outlines the EU’s growth strategy. The Green Deal clearly puts environmental concerns at the very centre and thereby gives rise to the theory that the European environmental conscience might replace former drivers for European integration.
Seventy years ago, Europeans invested in coal and steel. And it turned out to be a historic reconciliation, and an economic miracle. Today we are investing in renewables and algorithms. And the European Green Deal is about reconciling our economy with our planet, reconciling the way we produce, the way we consume with our planet and respecting the environment we live in.
(von der Leyen, 2019)