The European Green Deal and Beyond: Norm Diffusion in Forest Biodiversity Politics

In the European Union (EU), many policy efforts have been undertaken to address issues of biodiversity loss in forests. Recent initiatives, such as the European Green Deal and the new EU forest and biodiversity strategies for 2030, aim to drive the ecological transformation of nature, society, and economy. Central to these efforts are norms - soft institutions and collectively shared standards that guide the behaviour of actors. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of norm diffusion from political science, this study examines the normative impact of the EU on member states in forest biodiversity politics. We analyse the new EU Forest Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and compare them with current and prior strategy documents in Germany and Spain, using qualitative content analysis methods and expert interviews. The research aims to uncover how EU-level norms, as articulated in these strategies, shape national policy-making and implementation processes. Our results indicate that the EU acts as a normative power through the European Green Deal and related environmental policies and shapes national forest management principles. However, contested interpretations by member states reveal a dynamic, context-dependent norm diffusion process. By shedding light on such complex interactions between supranational norms and national governance, this study advances our understanding of the EU’s impact on member states’ identities. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the broader literature on European integration and norms research by offering empirical insights into the diffusion processes between the EU and its member states in the context of forest politics.