On June 5, 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, hosted an In-house Research Seminar entitled Navigating Dissensus Beyond Borders: The Case of Deforestation-Free Supply Chains, delivered by Katharina Weber.

Katharina Weber is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and LUISS University, and a member of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) GEM-DIAMOND, a research project focused on assessing the EU’s capacity for action in a context of increasing normative dissent in democratic institutions. Her research examines the European Union’s external environmental governance, with particular attention to the EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR) as a case study.

The seminar explored external contestation surrounding EU environmental governance, with a focus on how actors in the Global South articulate disagreement with EU regulatory frameworks. Using the EUDR as a central case, the presentation addressed two key questions: the main sources of contention surrounding the regulation and the ways in which the EU responds to external dissensus.

As a key instrument aimed at addressing agricultural-driven deforestation, the EUDR illustrates the EU’s capacity to project regulatory power beyond its borders. However, it has also generated significant resistance, including criticisms related to discrimination, protectionism, and neo-colonialism from affected third countries. Drawing on empirical material, including stakeholder interviews in Indonesia, the lecture analysed forms of contestation distinguishing between meta-, constitutive-, and practical norms.

The presentation concluded by highlighting the role of dissensus in global environmental governance, arguing that such contestation can contribute to defining the boundaries and trade-offs of regulatory frameworks within an unequal global order.

The Centre for Global Law and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence sincerely thank Katharina Weber, Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida, Lucas Vollers, and Gabriel Ralile for their contributions to this In-house Research Seminar.