This thesis examines the European Union’s transition from the neoliberal model of globalization to a post-neoliberal framework of state-led industrial policy, focusing on the environmental integration principle and the development of a decarbonised and circular industrial model. It analyses how the decline of the Liberal International Order and the limitations of multilateralism have led to the domestication of international economic law, with the EU embedding sustainability into binding legal frameworks. Through instruments such as the European Green Deal, the European Climate Law, the Fit for 55 package, the Emissions Trading System, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and the Net-Zero Industry and Critical Raw Materials Acts, the Union links industrial competitiveness with sustainability and strategic autonomy. The study explores whether this regulatory model represents a viable alternative to multilateral governance in achieving climate neutrality or whether it reinforces global fragmentation. It concludes that the EU acts as a regulatory power that advances sustainable development through enforceable legal instruments, yet faces persistent challenges concerning funding, competitiveness, and social fairness in the green transition toward climate neutrality.
Εμμανουέλα Ραφαέλα Ε. Σουγλή (Wed,) studied this question.