Green Transition in the European Union: The Shift From the “Mediterranean Stereotypes” to a Country-Specific Marketing Driven Approach

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss and critically analyze the progress of European Union Southern member states toward a green transition in the light of Marketing. The stereotype of the existence of environmental “leaders and laggards” is disputed, and a way to find an equal-for-all green transition is explored. Our analysis is focused on the cases of Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, the most well-known “laggard” countries, where we assess the role of governmental and non-state actors in implementing effective environmental policies and the various factors that caused their late coming in compliance and implementation of the EU environmental regulations.