A study of the Freie Universitaet Berlin on the views of European civil society on the concept of the Green Economy was submitted to the European Economic and Social Committee. The authors of the study analysed the discourses in the run up to the 2012 Rio Summit and surveyed the views of European Civil Society on the different issues which are currently under discussion. The study was presented to the Sustainable Development Observatory of the EESC on 17 October, 2011 in Brussels.