THE IMPACTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION DEFORESTATION-FREE REGULATION (EUDR) ON THE BRAZILIAN AGRI-FOOD SYSTEM: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE, REGULATORY SOVEREIGNTY, AND CLIMATE JUSTICE

Resumo

Abstract
This research critically analyzes the impacts of the European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) on the Brazilian agri-food system. From this perspective, the EUDR, embedded into the European Green Deal, emerges as a potential mechanism for global governance of both the climate and the global agri-food system. The study discusses its potential impacts on the strategic supply chains of soybeans, beef, cocoa, and coffee, covering the regulatory, commercial, and political dimensions of the legislation. The central argument of this work is that, although anchored in legitimate environmental commitments, the EUDR reflects a use of extraterritorial regulatory power by the European Union that may reinforce North-South asymmetries and limit Brazil's regulatory autonomy, intensifying disputes along global value chains. This work articulates debates on climate justice, regulatory sovereignty, and environmental barriers by examining how the EUDR reconfigures the intersections between global food security governance and international climate regimes in the Global South. By adopting the EUDR as a case study, the research seeks to understand how changes in environmental governance emerge in response to global challenges and how they can reconfigure the role of exporting countries in the international sustainability regime. The study contributes to the debate on climate justice, international cooperation, and the challenges of building collaborative arrangements that are sensitive to environmental conservation and the diversity of contexts in global food trade.