Greening politics? European parties’ and European Parliament groups’ standpoints on sustainability (2019–2024)

Purpose The study aims to discuss the “greening” of European Union politics in the European Parliament, by the voice of its political groups/parties, from 2019 to 2024. It aims at characterising the standpoints of each of the groups. Design/methodology/approach The main question guiding the research is: to what extent did the political parties and groups at the European Union level adopt green politics standpoints, in the period 2019–2024? The conceptual framework connects green politics with the three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental); with the debate on weak vs strong sustainability; with anthropocentric vs ecocentric perspectives. The standpoints of the European Parliament (EP) groups/parties are analysed with reference to those categories. The empirical research is based on the qualitative analysis of party manifestos and programmes for the 2019 election, and on a selection of EP parliamentary debates. Findings The data evidence the evolution of green politics in the EP, from 2019 to 2024. Variation across groups is presented. The predominance of each of the three pillars of sustainability by the EP group is demonstrated. Weak vs strong sustainability and anthropocentric vs ecocentric standpoints are mapped. Practical implications The study contributes: to the sustainable development debate (sustainable development goals [SDG]16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”) as it analyses political-ideological standpoints and decision-making on sustainability, within democratic institutions; to the academic debate on standpoints in the European Parliament and policy outcomes. Social implications The study contributes: to the sustainable development debate (SDG16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”) as it analyses political-ideological standpoints and decision-making on sustainability, within democratic institutions. Originality/value The study analyses sustainability debates from the perspective of parliamentary pluralism, presenting alternative views and final outcomes. It draws on substantial new empirical research.