This book undertakes a critical appraisal of the concept of sustainable development in the EU. It examines the development of a European general principle of sustainable development, examining legal, political and economic implications of the emergence of the principle and places the impact of such in local, national and international contexts

This unique book expertly analyses European political entrepreneurship in relation to the European Union’s approach towards the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development strategy. It explores the role of European political entrepreneurs in shaping, influencing and realising the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Chapters examine EU actors in the context of numerous development goals to assess how political entrepreneurship challenges traditional EU institutions and promotes visionary activity.

"This Eurostat publication, entitled "Sustainable development in the European Union - A statistical glance from the viewpoint of the UN Sustainable Development Goals", provides an overview of the current situation of the EU and its Member States on sustainable development in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This publication follows a strictly descriptive approach, presenting a purely statistical picture based on facts and figures. It provides rather a snapshot of the starting position of the EU and its Member States and is not intended as a regular SDG monitoring exercise at EU level. The analysis in this publication is based on a limited number of indicators, which are relevant to the EU perspective and capture the broader objective and ambition of each SDG. Each goal is analysed through two to four indicators. In total, 51 indicators are presented in the report, mainly obtained from the European Statistical System and disseminated by Eurostat. The analysis of Member States' performance and international comparisons focus on the most recent year for each indicator. EU-28 trends over time are also presented, covering the period from 2000 or 2002 up to the most recent year for which data are available (2014 or 2015)."--Back cover.

The European Union has the ambition to be one of the largest markets and one of the most influential trade actors in the globalized economy, but also the mission to spread the values and principles at the foundations of the European integration process: democracy, the rule of law, respect and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, environmental protection and sustainable development. This twofold mission is at the origin of the measures which are the object of this book. The focus of the research is the role of the Union in pursuing sustainable development and human rights in third countries through unilateral trade instruments and applying different methods of regulation. The study is conducted against the background of international law and of the WTO rules on multilateral trade. It addresses the tension between unilateralism and multilateralism in EU policies for sustainable development, with a focus on the problematic issue of the extraterritorial reach of EU measures.

The experiences of these countries in wrestling with issues of sustainability may serve also as examples for both developed and developing countries worldwide."--Jacket.

Since the Treaty of Amsterdam, sustainable development is legally enshrined among the fundamental objectives of European integration, and the contributors to this volume bring a diversity of perspectives to bear on both the internal and external dimensions of the EU’s relationship with sustainable development. The diversity of views reflected in this book testifies to the politically sensitive, essentially contested nature of the concept. But it cannot be denied that sustainable development policies have become institutionalized in the EU and its Member States and, as such, constitute an important new subject of inquiry and debate for all those interested in the fate of the European project.

Contains insights on current issues in research on sustainable development, featuring the SDG Index and Dashboards.