AUTHOR: Irene Chiocchetti

Sustainability experts hold weak confidence about the EU institutions implementing the European Green Deal’s objectives, with the new priorities weakening or narrowing the EGD agenda. Despite identifying some challenges and spillovers, the external impact of the Green Deal is widely recognised as positive.

The fifth edition of the European Green Deal Barometer, IEEP’s annual survey that gathers sustainability experts’ views on the progress of the European Green Deal’s implementation, has released its full report after presenting preliminary findings at the Think2030 Dialogue—Poland Conference on 28 March.  

The Green Deal Barometer 2025 report is available here.

In this edition, focusing on the external dimension of the Green Deal policies, we have interviewed 165 sustainability experts with different backgrounds and based from both the EU and countries outside the EU.

Respondents show moderate confidence when asked whether the EU institutions will turn the European Green Deal objectives into legislation. Most experts interviewed believe that the Green Deal agenda will be narrowed or weakened following the launch of the Clean Industrial Deal. Looking at the international dimension, there is a general agreement that the implemented EGD will have a positive impact on a global scale. However, the EU external policies are not considered to be sufficiently aligned with the Green Deal agenda, nor to demonstrate coherence and/or consistency. Nevertheless, 89% of respondents recognise that the EGD presents countries outside the EU with both challenges and opportunities.

The survey centred around a series of key policy questions assessing different key files and policies within the European Green Deal agenda with an international dimension.

• ENERGY TRANSITION: Two-thirds of experts think that the EU higher targets for renewable energy by 2030 will support the adoption of renewable energy within the EU and internationally.
• CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY DUE DILIGENCE DIRECTIVE (CSDDD): Supply chain disruptions are considered the main negative spillover of the CSDDD. However, 20% of respondents do not believe that the CSDDD causes any negative spillovers for countries outside the EU.
• CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM (CBAM): Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe that CBAM revenues should be recycled towards climate-vulnerable countries or least developed countries.
• EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS (FTAs): FTAs’ contribution to global climate and environmental degradation, through the import of goods produced in countries with less stringent climate and environmental regulations, is the main negative spillover identified by experts.
• REGULATION ON DEFORESTATION-FREE PRODUCTS (EUDR): Experts generally agree that the EUDR will help reduce deforestation rates, carbon emissions, and biodiversity loss in producer countries at a global level.

The full report of the European Green Deal Barometer includes three main recommendations, building from the survey results and aimed at ensuring the EGD’s objectives will continue to be pursued together with other political priorities.

The Green Deal Barometer 2024 report is available here.

The executive summary with an overview of the results is available here.

The European Green Deal Barometer is produced and published by the Institute for European Environmental Policy.

IEEP would like to thank all the organisations that contributed to the survey dissemination, such as the Think Sustainable Europe network members and the Think2030 partners. In particular, thanks to the Green Economy Coalition for their contribution to the survey and help in dissemination. Also, thanks to the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the Gates Foundation for supporting the Barometer work.

Thanks to EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) for data elaboration.