The main goal of this ELF publication is to define the smart and green society in the European Union alongside with its critical
challenges and opportunities.
ISBN: 978-2-39067-044-5 9782390670445
Year: 2022
Editors: Dr. Aleksander Aristovnik, Dr. Dejan Ravšelj, Dr. Nina Tomaževič
We live in times when globalisation and the rapid progression of smart technologies bring considerable societal changes. At the same time, humanity is faced with long-term structural global-scale challenges like global warming, rising inequalities, demographic trends, and growing economic disparity. The COVID-19 pandemic came as an additional challenge, emphasising the importance of leveraging digitalisation and sustainable, green solutions even more. Accordingly, the main goal of this ELF publication is to define the smart and green society in the European Union (EU) context and identify critical challenges and opportunities for the EU as regards the smart and green EU policy reforms with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and the EU’s response to this unprecedented crisis, primarily through smart and sustainable development. Namely, the COVID-19 pandemic further highlights the interrelationship of between our natural and societal systems.
As far as the environment is concerned, by 2050, Europe aims to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent. The presented analysis of the situations in the smart and green society in the European Union will be the basis for detecting the policy implications and subsequent guidelines for governments and the EU/EC. These measures should provide concrete help content-wise for member states to rebuild economies following the pandemic-related disruptions. Thus, the proposed theme is vital, especially from the perspective of modern EU society during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, where democratic and liberal values and ideas are the basis needed for effective and efficient sustainable development.