The European Union is well known to be one of the most prominent international actors fighting against the climate crisis and, as the President of the European Council Charles Michel has said, it is trying to lead by example in order to reach the climate neutrality by 2050. However, is the EU really leading by example in the global fight against climate change? If so, through which means and behaviours, and how effectively? The essay tries to answer to all these questions by starting from the very understanding of the concept of ‘leading by example’. The definition of leading by example this essay comes up with is wider and more comprehensive than the one provided by scholars as Hermalin and Arce. This is why it will be important, given the aim of the essay, to keep an eye on the evolution of EU’s narrative on the climate crisis in the first place and, just in a second moment, to focus on its concrete internal and external action.
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