The EU Green Deal: How’s It Going?

Back in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the European Union passed the European Green Deal, setting a goal of having the EU be climate-neutral in its emissions by 2050. Here in 2026, 20% of that 30-year time window has now passed. The government of the EU have a reputation for strong action toward these types of goals. How is it going? Magnus Henrekson, Christian Sandström and Mikael Stenkula have edited a collection of 16 essays that provide a cautionary progress report in A Green Entrepreneurial State? Exploring the Pitfalls of Green Deals (Springer International Studies in EntrepreneurshipVolume 49, 2026, open access). In their introductory overview essay for the volume, Henrekson, Sandström, and Stenkula point out that the EU is embracing a wide array of policies: not just solar and (on-shore and offshore) wind, but also hydrogen, zero-emission cars, improved batteries, and much else. For example, “all new passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles registered from 2035 must be…