Call for papers | REVISTA DEBATER A EUROPA – nr.26

2021-03-15

Call for papers

REVISTA DEBATER A EUROPA – nr.26
(ISSN 1647-6336)

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY AFTER THE
EUROPEAN UNION-MERCOSUR TRADE AGREEMENT

 

Coordinated by Alexandre Altmann and Alexandra Aragão

The trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur will consolidate one of the largest free trade areas on the Planet, encompassing a gross domestic product of almost 20 trillion Euros and 780 million people, corresponding to 25% of the world economy. The Agreement in Principle concluded between the two sides on June 28, 2019 (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2019/june/tradoc_157964.pdf) opens the door to free trade with the elimination of more than 90 percent of customs duties currently levied on imports and exports, easier services provisioning and establishment for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, market access to public contracts/tenders, protection of intellectual property rights and geographical designations of origin. However, the agreement will not be limited to the commercial pillar. The major objective assumed by both parties is the promotion, through trade, of higher values, such as the guarantee of food safety, nature conservation and biodiversity, labour protection, and sustainable development.

It is therefore necessary to reflect on:

  • How to prevent the implementation of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement from causing negative impacts on the environment or on human rights of the countries in both blocs?
  • How can incentives and initiatives for environmental protection and sustainability be enhanced through the implementation of the Agreement?
  • Can the Agreement produce direct or indirect extraterritorial and regional effects beneficial to the environment, human rights or sustainability in the neighbouring third countries of each regional bloc or even on a global scale?

 

These are some of the guiding questions in this special issue of Debate Europe. Papers must be submitted, in accordance with the Journal's rules (https://impactum-journals.uc.pt/debatereuropa/about/submissions) by November 15, 2021.

 

The text of the Agreement in Principle, statistical data, and information about the parties to the agreement can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/eu-mercosur-association-agreement/.

 

This issue is funded by national funds through the FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the project UIDB/00460/2020.