Achieving Sustainable Development in Times of Crisis: Evaluating How the Proposal to Fast Track the Swedish Environmental Permit Procedure Aligns with the EU’s Nature Protection Framework Through the Lens of Sustainable Development

Abstract

In the wake of recent global crises, the Swedish Government appointed a committee investigating the feasibility of fast tracking the environmental permit procedure for essential public activities, which delivered its proposal in 2023. The proposal has implications for several EU legal acts aimed at protecting the environment and reflects an attempt to balance the three dimensions of sustainable development. Therefore, this thesis seeks to answer how the proposal aligns with the EU’s nature protection framework and hence the objective of sustainable development. This thesis first analyzes how sustainable development is implemented at the EU level, before proceeding to present the Swedish proposal. Subsequently, the conformity of the proposal with the exemption clauses under the EU’s nature protection framework is analyzed, as the derogation clauses provide for the balance among the three dimensions of sustainable development. The findings of this thesis suggest that the proposal potentially contradicts Sweden’s obligations under EU law, as it seemingly prioritizes social and economic interests over the high level of environmental protection required by EU law.