Purpose The purpose of this study is to critucally examine how education for sustainable development (ESD) is integrated into initial teacher education (ITE) across five European universities. Despite strong European Union and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) frameworks, the actual practices of embedding ESD competences in pre-service teacher training remain underexplored. Design/methodology/approach The authors reviewed policy documents from Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Spain to contextualise national strategies for ESD, followed by semi-structured interviews with six university-based educators to explore how ESD is interpreted, implemented and supported in ITE. Thematic analysis informed the interpretation of the data. Findings Results reveal a fragmented landscape of ESD integration, with significant inconsistencies in curricular approaches, institutional support and educator preparedness. ESD often remains optional or implicitly embedded, constrained by structural factors such as rigid credit systems and lack of faculty development. Practical implications Insights inform policy makers, teacher educators and institutions aiming to harmonise ESD competences across diverse European contexts, fostering more consistent and impactful integration. Originality/value By capturing the lived experiences of teacher educators, this study offers a timely and critical snapshot of persistent barriers and institutional challenges in embedding ESD. Its findings align with existing research, reinforcing the gap between policy and practice. The study’s value lies in its proposal of a pan-European syllabus framework as a strategic, practice-oriented response – supporting both theoretical development and practical implementation of ESD across diverse higher education contexts.
Supple et al. (2025) studied this question.