The FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on EU-South America Global Governance focuses on the contribution of the EU for fostering a comparative study on Global Governance and related subjects, taking into account the context and specific demands from the Global South. It envisages joint transnational activities and structural links with academic institutions in Brazil and worldwide in order to share knowledge, develop partnership and joint activities on issues of global governance and beyond. The project represents an opportunity to keep advancing in the EU studies, as an extension of FGV’s Jean Monnet Module (2010-2013) and Chair Actions (2015-2018).

The Centre endorses a comparative analysis on EU and South American Global Governance mechanisms, ensuring greater visibility to this field of study both within FGV and at the Brazilian and South-American levels. The project then responds to an identified need to expand knowledge on the EU governance studies in the Global South. It brings together leading experts of Humanities and Social Sciences, promoting interdisciplinary teaching and research activities. The Centre’s activities, staff and guests are structured around three main core dimensions in order to contribute to the global governance debate in South America: (1) Global Regulation, (2) Global Litigation, and (3) Human Rights and Democracy. It comprises six key activities: (i) new and existing teaching activities; (ii) high-level collaborative research projects, with national and international partners; (iii) international conferences and seminars; (iv) one-week training courses; (v) capacity-building courses; (vi) systematic publications.

The initiative ensures greater visibility to EU-South America Global Governance studies both at national and international levels as the Centre of Excellence are open to students, lawyers and academics of different fields and degrees of education not only from the FGV’s schools and research centres, such as the School of Social Sciences (CPDOC); International Relations; Law Schools from Rio and São Paulo (DIREITO RIO and DIREITO SP); São Paulo School of Business Administration (EAESP); Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (EBAPE); São Paulo School of Economics (EESP); Brazilian School of Economics and Finance (EPGE); Brazilian Institute of Economics (IBRE); School of Applied Mathematics (EMAp), but also from other renowned higher education institutions in Brazil not normally dealing with EU issues.

In addition, this focal point on EU studies intends to have a major role in reaching out to policy makers, civil servants, organised civil society and the general public at large. The proposal opens a channel of dialogue between students/researchers and the EU and fosters a network with other higher education institutions in Europe and South America.
 

The project delivers an academic added value by providing a platform of cooperation, intellectual exchange and facilitation between the participating academics on EU and related issues. It wishes to create a focal point of competence and knowledge on EU-South America Global Governance in the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), established in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Therefore, the interdisciplinary activities provided by the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on EU-South America Global Governance will help to increase awareness of EU and Brazil common interests and shared values and, in three-year time, will impact and contribute to a systemic change to the global governance debate.