The trade-sustainability nexus: the evolution of the European Commission’s trade and sustainable development discourse from 1993 to 2022

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the European Commission’s trade andsustainable development discourse from 1993 to 2022. By employing a discursiveinstitutionalist framework and examining a comprehensive corpus of over 1,400press documents, this study traces the discursive process that has created bothsignificant changes to, and persistent elements in, the Commission’strade-sustainability agenda. The analysis reveals noteworthy shifts within thediscourse, notably a transition from a primary concern with labour and humanrights during the 1990s to an increased focus on economic developmentand poverty reduction in the early 2000s. This was followed by a discerniblemove towards more stringent differentiation among developing countries andan amplified emphasis on reciprocity. In recent years, we are witnessing astrong focus on environmental and climate protection, labour rights, andenforceability. Thefindings underscore the enduring presence of trade-sustainability ideas within EU trade policy and their gradual evolution overtime, while contributing to the literature on the role of ideas in shaping theUnion’sexternalpolicies.