Description:
<jats:p>The reasons for the decline of European centre–right parties since the 1990s are widely debated and subject to different explanations. One such explanation is that there has been a lack of an overarching narrative. In recent years, sustainability has become a dominant concept in European political debates. The article analyses whether this concept could become the core of a new political vision for centre–right parties and should no longer be considered only a leftist–green project. Three significant aspects of sustainability are discussed: future value creation, foreign relations and the future of democracy. In all three fields, there is a huge potential to redefine sustainability beyond the narrow environmentalist understanding, linking this approach to a long history of conservative, Christian Democratic thinking. For Europe as a global actor, sustainability could become a key component of its normative power, with many opportunities to link up with similar initiatives in other world regions.</jats:p>