From the European Green Deal’s Goal of Climate Neutrality to the Clean Industrial Deal: An Approach from the Perspective of the Protection of Human Rights
From the European Green Deal’s Goal of Climate Neutrality to the Clean Industrial Deal: An Approach from the Perspective of the Protection of Human Rights

Summary/Abstract: The European Green Deal (EGD), which was adopted on 11 December 2019, placed people in the centre of its objective of achieving a climate-neutral economy and a sustainable society by 2050. Nevertheless, there were few references to human rights in the EGD and its roadmap. The EGD’s updated proposals are now found in the Clean Industrial Deal: A joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation (CID), adopted by the European Commission on 26 February 2025. The recent Deal brings together climate action and competitiveness under the same overarching growth strategy and tries to play a crucial role in protecting the citizens’ rights. This article first examines the policies and legal texts implemented under the EGD and the CID to assess the extent to which they expand the protection of human rights in the EU. Secondly, it analyses the legal remedies available in case of violations of these rights and how recent legislative initiatives (such as the CSDD Directive and the upcoming UN treaty) may strengthen this framework.

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