Crises as tipping points for deep transformation: time for solutions

The scale and scope of the deep transformations needs of both Europe’s production and consumption systems targeted by the European Green Deal have been further underscored by the security crisis and the urgent imperative to achieve fossil fuel energy independence . At the same time, the sudden outbreaks of the security and health crises and the resulting, at times, radical and agile policy actions at European level, suggest that under crisis conditions, decision making at European level is achieved more easily.
From this perspective, the three coinciding crises seem to provide a converging set of opportunities or positive tipping points for deep transformation. Despite the fact that each crisis has a very different ”time framework” with respect to its impact, all have challenged policy makers in Europe at different levels in sometimes dramatic ways. They have not just brought to the fore old, existing and new, emerging trade-offs in European governance but also cast a stark light on limitations and shortcomings of the institutional set up of policy design and implementation in the EU.