The environment as a strategic priority in the European Union–Brazil partnership
Subtitle:
is the EU behaving as a normative power or soft imperialist?
Publication Name:
International Environmental Agreements: Politics Law and Economics
Volume, number, page:
14:1, pp.47-64
Year of Publication:
2014
Organization Name:
Springer
Publisher:
Springer
City:
Berlin
Country of Publication:
Germany
Full Date:
2014
ISBN or ISSN:
15731553
Considered Countries:
Brazil
Category:
Academic articles
Theme:
BILATERAL RELATIONS UE - LAC
Strategic Partnerships
Keyword(s):
Climate change policy
Climate Change
Latin America
European Union
Deforestation
Biofuels
Mercosur
Multilateralism
Environment
Environmental policy
Sustainability
Political Dialogue
Abstract:
In 2007, Brazil entered the European Union’s (EU) list of strategic partners; a token of recognition of the place Brazil occupies in current global affairs. Although promoting bilateral environmental convergence is a stated priority, cooperation between the EU and Brazil in this policy field is largely under-researched, raising interesting questions as to whether the current state of play could support EU claims for the normative orientation of its external environmental policy. Through an analysis of partnership activities in the fields of deforestation and biofuels, we suggest that while normative intentions may be regarded as a motivating force, critically viewing EU foreign environmental policy through a ‘soft imperialism’ lens could offer a more holistic understanding of the current state of bilateral cooperation. While the normative power thesis can be substantiated with regard to deforestation, we argue that by erecting barriers to shield its domestic biofuels production, the EU is placing trade competitiveness and economic growth above its normative aspirations. Subsequently, the partial adoption of sustainable development as an EU norm leads to policy incoherence and contradictory actions.
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