The Ephemeral Term “Sustainable Development” in Current EU Policies

Abstract Research background The term “sustainable development” is an omnipresent expression reaching the dimension of a command in the EU under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen. However, this is an ephemeral term with ambiguous and contradictory meanings which is employed in a particular manner by current EU policies. Purpose The purpose of this study is to reconcile various approaches and consolidate the understanding of sustainable development as advanced by current EU policies. Research methodology A historical and conceptual review creates a foundation to prepare comparative review tables to be filled with information about current EU policies and their quotes regarding “sustainable development”, as extracted from the EU Commission Websites and EurLex. This allows for a holistic, thematic and critical analysis about the teleological meaning as well as glossing and Socratic questioning. Results The juxtaposition of these findings suggests that the term “sustainable development” is a semantic puzzle which is perceived by current EU policies as a call for multispectral and inherently conflicting changes to be imposed by all stakeholders in the utilitarian context. Novelty Six pioneering propositions with controversial features emerge and are to be verified by further multidisciplinary longitudinal studies.