On August 20th, 2025, the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme, in partnership with the FGV Centre for Global Law, was honored to welcome Professor Kai Enno Lehmann, Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations of the University of São Paulo (IRI-USP). The class was part of the third edition of the Rio School on Global Governance, Democracy and Human Rights.

Professor Lehmann discussed the foundations of the project of the European Union (EU), in contrast with the series of crises it has faced since. While the EU has been described, and presents itself, as a normative power, Prof. Lehmann argued that it is in fact strongly conflict-averse. Such paradox creates tensions that might undermine the organization’s original ambitions.

The lecture examined particular crises that have hit the EU since the 1980s: the economic crisis, the Covid pandemic, and the war on Ukraine. Prof. Lehmann held that these challenges exposed the fractures in the European project, as it is not actually a normative power and prioritizes pragmatism over strategy.

We extend our sincere thanks to Professor Lehmann for such an informative and engaging presentation on this timely topic.