The European Green Deal and the Democratic Imagination

Democracy can be imagined in different ways, and the way it is imagined conditions and encapsulates various facets of the political landscape. Imaginaries guide policymaking on technology; energy and development. At the same time, socio-ecological transformation and policy have an impact on political imaginaries of democracy. This paper assesses the particular democratic imaginary that is reflected and reinforced by the EGD. The EGD emphasizes citizens as a ‘driving force’ of sustainability transition and, through its European Climate Pact, expects to "empower the many in Europe who...are ready to contribute" through dialogues and assemblies. However, despite the emphasis on active citizens, their participation is circumscribed, since the actual aims and strategies of the EGD are apparently not open for debate. Using critical and visual discourse analysis to interrogate the literature surrounding the EGD, the paper identifies some persistent tropes of the democratic imaginary. Drawing a comparison to conventional, radical and populist imaginaries, the paper concludes that this political imaginary is one of an inclusive ‘depoliticised democracy’ engaging a wide diversity of citizens in limited debate. This raises some pressing questions: Does this imaginary resonate within Europe? And can it help reconfigure European modes of existence?