On May 22, 2025, the FGV Centre for Global Law (CPDG) and the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on EU–South America Global Governance, co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, in partnership with the FGV Rio Law Graduate Programme, hosted an In-house Research Seminar entitled The Role of Model Contracts in “Regulating” the Petroleum Industry in Brazil and Beyond, delivered by Professor Norman Nadorff.

The seminar featured the participation of lawyer Lívia Seabra (Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown) and was moderated by Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida, Coordinator of the CPDG and the CEJM.

The session opened with Professor Nadorff introducing the work of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN) and its role in developing model contracts for the oil and gas industry. He then provided a detailed overview of key contractual structures in the petroleum sector, including concession agreements, production sharing agreements, and risk service contracts, situating them within broader international energy governance frameworks.

Ms. Seabra complemented the discussion by focusing on the Brazilian legal framework for oil contracts, with particular emphasis on the production-sharing regime and the institutional role of the Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) in managing Brazil’s pre-salt resources.

In the final part of the seminar, Professor Nadorff presented the main features of AIEN model host government agreements, highlighting their relevance for standardizing negotiations and enhancing predictability in international petroleum investments. The discussion underscored the broader function of model contracts as instruments of regulation in both domestic and transnational contexts.

The Centre for Global Law and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence sincerely thank Professor Norman Nadorff and Ms. Lívia Seabra for their valuable contributions to this discussion on the governance of the petroleum industry.