A New Meaning of Sustainability : The Transformation of Sustainability Discourse to Legitimize Security Governance in the EU

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how the European Commission’s discourse has evolved between 2019 and 2025 in response to geopolitical disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The study investigates how the Commission constructs legitimacy through the green transition for a security agenda themed around resilience, security, and strategic autonomy. Drawing on a governmentality framework and legitimacy theory, the thesis conducts a chronological comparative document analysis of the European Green Deal communication and the Strategic Foresight Reports published between 2020 and 2025. The findings show a clear discursive shift from sustainability as an environmental and social objective towards sustainability as a strategic tool for managing dependencies, geopolitical risks, and future uncertainties. This suggests that the green transition has become a form of governance in which sustainability is used to legitimize security-oriented and anticipatory policy interventions. The thesis contributes to debates on EU governance by showing how changing geopolitical conditions reshape both the meaning and political function of sustainability.