The European Green Deal and the democratic imagination

Democracy can be imagined in vastly different ways, and the way it is imagined has implications for political projects and policymaking. In this paper, I assess the particular democratic imaginary that is reflected and reinforced by the European Green Deal (EGD). The EGD emphasizes citizens as a ‘driving force’ of sustainability transition. However, despite the emphasis on active citizens, their participation is circumscribed, since the actual aims and strategies of the EGD are apparently not open for debate. Using critical discourse analysis to interrogate the material surrounding the EGD, I identify some persistent tropes of the democratic imaginary that is found there. I find that the dominant political imaginary of the EGD is one of an ‘inclusive depoliticised democracy’ that engages a wide diversity of citizens in limited discussion. The EGD is placed outside of politics and democracy and becomes a matter of tutored knowledge exchange rather than impassioned engagement.