Sweden’s conflicting green leadership in the European Union

ABSTRACT

This article examines the nuanced dynamics of green leadership within the European Union (EU), focusing on Sweden. Sweden has long been heralded as an exemplar of environmental and climate leadership within the European Union as well as a frontrunner in the adoption of green policies, notably in the realms of bioenergy and biofuels. However, its leadership stance has come under scrutiny due to the inherent conflicts within green initiatives, often referred to as ‘green-green dilemmas’ that arise when environmental actions, despite their sustainable intentions, clash over competing interests. Drawing on a variety of sources we delve into the complexities surrounding Sweden's green leadership. The article highlights how Sweden’s enthusiastic endorsement of bioenergy and biofuels, integral to its climate action strategy, has sparked debates and raised questions about Sweden´s perceived green leadership within the European Union. Sweden's approach to navigating these conflicts, alongside its efforts to negotiate and balance economic interests with environmental ambitions, offers a compelling insight into the challenges of maintaining green leadership in the face of conflicting green agendas.

KEYWORDS:

• Green leadership, Swedish reputation, negotiation style, forest member states, EU Commission, EU climate and sustainability politics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Swedish government from 2014 to 2021 was a coalition minority government of two left parties. The government was led by the Social Democratic Party and the other governmental party was the Green Party. The Green Party left the government in November 2021 due to budgetary conflicts, which resulted in a single party government of the Social Democratic Party between November 2021 until the next parliamentary elections in September 2022 (SVT, November 25, 2021). The parliamentary elections in September 2022 resulted in a government change to a liberal conservative minority government led by the Moderate Party. The other two current governmental parties are; The Liberal Party and The Christian Democratic Party. The liberal conservative government is supported by the Sweden Democratic Party, which is not formally a governmental party.

Additional information

Funding

This article is a part of a research project (2019-02023) funded by the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS).