Sustainability: Septentrional and/or Meridional?

This paper pursues a comparative study of the progress of social and political sustainability in the geographically, and also historically defined (and definitory) areas of Europe: the south, from Portugal to Greece, and the north, mainly the British Isles and the Scandinavian Peninsula, but also the mainland north. The comparison addresses the historical evolution of the geopolitical and cultural identity of these areas (as well as those in-between), but it mainly involves both the historical determinism of the current state of affairs, and the plans for the future, formally initiated with the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam, which included planning for a sustainable development as a fundamental objective. Therefore items addressed in this analysis will include documents like the European Union Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) released in 2001 and continuously reviewed and revised thereafter, and the Europe 2020 Strategy, adopted in 2010, mainly focused on integration and therefore addressing social equity and cohesion (including generational solidarity), economic prosperity (not just in Europe, but also at the global level), and international responsibilities (like health, education, welfare). The Brexit will also be mentioned, necessarily, including its impact in the entertainment industry.