From Compliance to Transformation in EU Candidate Countries
The international symposium “Sustainability is (Still) Possible!” was held at the University of Turin on 18 and 19 September 2025.
At the SMART Network event, Prof. Dr Mirjana Drenovak-Ivanović presented how the European Green Deal, CSDDD, CSRD, Ecodesign Regulation, Right to Repair Directive and EU Deforestation Regulation affect legal and institutional reform in Serbia and the Western Balkans.
The presentation considered accession conditionality, soft-law instruments, ECtHR case law and voluntary ESG standards. It focused on whether compliance obligations can become drivers of systemic transformation in institutions, markets and society.
The presentation distinguished formal compliance with individual rules from transformation in the way institutions and companies plan, manage risk and make decisions. The candidate-country perspective allowed EU rules to be examined through accession conditionality, market chains and limited administrative capacity. JMC EECL research results were thereby presented to an international network working on sustainability law.