The launch of the European Green Deal (EGD) is the manifestation of the reconfigured commitments underpinning the climate agenda of the European Union (EU). This blueprint has placed uneven pressures of decarbonisation on smaller Member States to revise their trade, industrial, and energy policies. Although such actors are usually considered to be rule-takers, this research adopts a different approach by conceptualising the case of Slovakia as a strategic adaptor in the context of the EU climate governance. This study investigates the way in which Slovakia responds to the EGD requirements, whether these responses are adjusted by considering the trade dependencies revealed by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and how agency is practised at the national and EU levels. The analysis is based on the theory of small states and international political economy, and it methodologically relies on discursive framing and semi-structured interviews with the Slovak officials, policy experts, and industry representatives. It is argued instead of being guided by normative environmental commitments, the policy framework in Slovakia is shaped by strategic interests that would allow reducing the energy dependency, taking actions to protect the carbon-intensive industries, and heighten its geo-economic autonomy and institutional strength. The study contributes to the discussion of European integration, trade governance, and sustainability transitions by considering that even small Member States can serve as active participants in EU climate governance.
