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Fair Trade? Fragmented Responsibility in the Enforcement of Socioenvironmental Norms: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the 2026 EU–Mercosur Agreement and Brazil’s Indigenous Advocacy

Ioannou Naoum, Christos LU (2026) WPMM43 20261
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis explores how welfare and sustainability are constructed, promoted, and contested within contemporary trade governance and specifically through looking at the EU–Mercosur Association Agreement and the 2026 report by Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil, representing the voice of the Indigenous people there, to explore how fair trade can be promoted in today’s world of volatile global politicoeconomic affairs. By focusing the spotlight on Brazil as Mercosur’s largest economy and a central actor in agricultural exports
and environmental governance, the study explores how the three socioenvironmental
normative values of sustainable development, labour rights and environmental protection are embedded in the EU-Mercosur trade... (More)
This thesis explores how welfare and sustainability are constructed, promoted, and contested within contemporary trade governance and specifically through looking at the EU–Mercosur Association Agreement and the 2026 report by Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil, representing the voice of the Indigenous people there, to explore how fair trade can be promoted in today’s world of volatile global politicoeconomic affairs. By focusing the spotlight on Brazil as Mercosur’s largest economy and a central actor in agricultural exports
and environmental governance, the study explores how the three socioenvironmental
normative values of sustainable development, labour rights and environmental protection are embedded in the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and how they are challenged and contested by Indigenous actors as not implemented practically in the internal political microclimate of Brazil. Motivated by the need to understand whether trade policy can meaningfully advance sustainable development in a turbulent global context marked by protectionism and
institutional strain, this research compares EU institutional discourse with Indigenous advocacy narratives to assess the scope and limits of the EU’s normative power as illustrated through antagonising discourses, unveiling a fragmented allocation of responsibility for the enforcement of socioenvrionmental norms under the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Chapter of the agreement. Through the use of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and the bridging of the fields of international relations, trade law, and welfare policy, this thesis
contributes to debates on whether large-scale trade agreements can truly reach harmony between economic development and socioenvironmental justice, adding to the field of policy and legislative development for achieving fair trade. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ioannou Naoum, Christos LU
supervisor
organization
course
WPMM43 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
EU–Mercosur Agreement, fair trade, sustainable development
language
English
id
9226768
date added to LUP
2026-06-16 15:22:22
date last changed
2026-06-16 15:22:22
@misc{9226768,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how welfare and sustainability are constructed, promoted, and contested within contemporary trade governance and specifically through looking at the EU–Mercosur Association Agreement and the 2026 report by Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil, representing the voice of the Indigenous people there, to explore how fair trade can be promoted in today’s world of volatile global politicoeconomic affairs. By focusing the spotlight on Brazil as Mercosur’s largest economy and a central actor in agricultural exports
and environmental governance, the study explores how the three socioenvironmental
normative values of sustainable development, labour rights and environmental protection are embedded in the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and how they are challenged and contested by Indigenous actors as not implemented practically in the internal political microclimate of Brazil. Motivated by the need to understand whether trade policy can meaningfully advance sustainable development in a turbulent global context marked by protectionism and
institutional strain, this research compares EU institutional discourse with Indigenous advocacy narratives to assess the scope and limits of the EU’s normative power as illustrated through antagonising discourses, unveiling a fragmented allocation of responsibility for the enforcement of socioenvrionmental norms under the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Chapter of the agreement. Through the use of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and the bridging of the fields of international relations, trade law, and welfare policy, this thesis
contributes to debates on whether large-scale trade agreements can truly reach harmony between economic development and socioenvironmental justice, adding to the field of policy and legislative development for achieving fair trade.}},
  author       = {{Ioannou Naoum, Christos}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Fair Trade? Fragmented Responsibility in the Enforcement of Socioenvironmental Norms: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the 2026 EU–Mercosur Agreement and Brazil’s Indigenous Advocacy}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}