The EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, which has been underway for nearly 20 years, has been agreed upon in principle and is currently in the process of legal revision and translation before entering the ratification phase. It would constitute the world's biggest free trade agreement and an export market worth 45 billion euros. The agreement potentially leads to an increase in EU's imports of soy, sugar, meat and other agricultural products from Mercosur countries while allowing the EU to increase its exports of machinery, cars and pharmaceuticals.

The agreement has attracted criticism from NGOs, parliaments and national governments for failing to properly address the curbing of greenhouse gases and to impose sanctions in the case of violation of environmental commitments. Especially soy cultivation and livestock farming have been identified as important drivers of deforestation in tropical savannas and rainforests. Several EU member states have already voted against accepting the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, if the conditions for sustainable practices are not met.

The goal of this virtual seminar is to discuss the prospects and environmental impacts in Brazil and other Mercosur members in the case that the agreement is put into effect. The discussion will include a variety of perspectives - a policymaker, an industry representative and a sustainability researcher.

Program:

Moderator: Maria Ulsig

13.00-13.05 h: Welcome (Georg Fischer)

13.05-13.20 h: Anna Cavazzini (Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance)

10 minutes Q&A

13.30-13.45 h: Alexander Döring (Secretary General, European Feed Manufacturers' Federation - FEFAC)

10 minutes Q&A

13.55-14.10 h: Carlos Eduardo Rittl Filho (Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Potsdam)

10 minutes Q&A

14.20-14.45 h: Open discussion

Contact/registration: Maria Ulsig, Centre for Environmental Humanities, maul@cas.au.dk

This virtual seminar is co-hosted by the Centre for Environmental Humanities (CEH) and the Department of Global Studies at Aarhus University. It is part of the the BA elective "Addressing Global Challenges". It is open to all other students and staff at the Department for Global Studies as well as to CEH members.