EVENTS

10 June 2026, the FGV Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on EU–Latin America Global Challenges (CEJM), co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme and directed by Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida, held the webinar "The Externalisation of the EU Green Deal in Latin America through Intra- and Inter-Regional Instruments: the EUDR and the EU–Mercosur Agreement". The Webinar was supported by the Climate and Society Institute (ICS).

We were honoured to welcome such distinguished speakers from across the EU and Brazil for what proved to be a truly fruitful exchange on one of the most pressing intersections of trade and environmental global governance.

The webinar opened with a keynote address by Frank Hoffmeister (Head of the Legal Department, EEAS), who set the stage by reflecting on international trade and sustainable development between bilateral and multilateral approaches.

Panel I, chaired by Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida (Director of CPDG and CEJM and Professor at FGV Rio Law), examined the EUDR as an intra-regional instrument of the EU Green Deal, featuring Josephine Norris (Member of the European Commission Legal Service), Matheus Soares Matos (Barral Pinheiro Parente Law Firm), and Gustavo Gayger Müller (Senior Researcher at KU Leuven), with Mariana Mariani (CPDG/CEJM) as discussant.

Panel II, chaired by Augusto Castro (Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), turned to the EU–Mercosur Agreement as an inter-regional instrument, bringing together Pedro Mariano Martins Pontes (Brazil's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change), Paolo Garzotti (DG Trade, European Commission), and Henrique Choer Moraes (Deputy Ambassador to the Netherlands), with Leonardo Rossi (CPDG/CEJM) as discussant.

Closing remarks were delivered by Prof. Jan Wouters (Director at the KU Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies).

The discussions offered rich insights into the extraterritorial effects of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, the Trade and Sustainable Development chapter of the EU–Mercosur Agreement, and the interaction between these two frameworks — including Annex 18-A of the EU-Mercosur Agreement and recent EUDR simplification measures that may shape how Brazil's compliance systems are recognised under EU law.

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Research Seminar | “The EU–Mercosur Trade Agreements: Procedural and Substantive Challenges”

On 22 May 2026, the Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (CEJM) at FGV Rio Law organised a research seminar on the working paper “The EU-Mercosur Trade Agreements: Procedural and Substantive Challenges”, moderated by Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida. Researcher Leonardo Bortolozzo Rossi presented the draft paper within the research project Climate Change and Forests.

The seminar also welcomed a representative from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an invited expert in customs law, international trade, and regional integration as discussants, fostering dialogue on the legal and policy challenges surrounding EU–Mercosur relations from both regional perspectives.

Reseach Seminar | “Challenges of the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation for Brazil: Insights from the Coffee Sector”

On 15 May 2026, the Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (CEJM) at FGV Rio Law organised a research seminar on the indirect application of the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) in Brazil, with particular attention to the coffee sector. Researchers Mariana Mariani, Léa Guillaumier, Camilla Rosso and Leonardo Bortolozzo Rossi presented the working paper “Challenges of the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation for Brazil: Insights from the Coffee Sector”, developed under the supervision of Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida.

The seminar also welcomed an invited expert from the Brazilian public sector working on environmental governance and international cooperation as discussant, whose comments and feedback contributed to the ongoing development of the research.

Research Seminar | “The Externalisation of the European Green Deal in South America: EUDR’s Effects and the EU–Mercosur Agreement”

On 19 March 2026, the Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (CEJM) at FGV Rio Law organised an in-house research seminar dedicated to the working paper “The Externalisation of the European Green Deal in South America: EUDR’s Effects and the EU–Mercosur Agreement.”

Researchers Mariana Mariani and Leonardo Bortolozzo Rossi presented the paper, co-authored with Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida. The research examines how different channels of externalisation of the European Green Deal shape EU–South America environmental relations, focusing on the interaction between unilateral regulatory instruments and trade agreements embedding sustainability commitments. The seminar concluded with comments, feedback, and discussion among researchers from CPDG and CEJM.

EULAS Conference Presentation | “The Externalisation of the European Green Deal and South America: EUDR’s Effects and the EU–Mercosur Agreement”

On 24 March 2026, researchers from the Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (CEJM) at FGV Rio Law participated in the EULAS Conference – Euro-Latin America & Caribbean Cooperation in Governing Climate and Biodiversity and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Researchers Mariana Mariani and Leonardo Bortolozzo Rossi presented the paper “The Externalisation of the European Green Deal and South America: EUDR’s Effects and the EU–Mercosur Agreement”, co-authored with Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida. The research examines the externalisation of the European Green Deal in South America, focusing on the interaction between the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the EU–Mercosur Agreement, and their legal and regulatory implications for Brazil.

Research Seminar | “Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of Trade and Sustainable Development Clauses in the EU–Mercosur Free Trade Agreement: Comparative Structures, Divergences, and Effectiveness”

On 27 February 2026, the Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (CEJM) at FGV Rio Law organised an in-house research seminar dedicated to the working paper “Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of Trade and Sustainable Development Clauses in the EU–Mercosur Free Trade Agreement: Comparative Structures, Divergences, and Effectiveness.”

Researchers Mariana Mariani and Leonardo Bortolozzo Rossi presented the paper, which examines how trade and sustainability interact within the Trade and Sustainable Development chapters of EU trade agreements, focusing on the rationale behind these provisions, differences between labour and environmental commitments, and challenges related to implementation and enforcement.