Training The New Protagonists of a Sustainable Europe

The SustainEUorPlanet - Jean Monnet Chair project will be launched at the Department of Legal Studies of the University of Bologna. The project aims to develop an analysis of the European Union's legal framework and international policies, focusing on economic fairness in international trade and investments, environmental sustainability, and access to essential goods and clean energy. To this end, it will offer a wide range of initiatives, including courses, seminars, webinars, international conferences, and open-access publications.

The aim is to train high-level public officials, academics, and policy-makers equipped to advance sustainability in international law and policies—in the areas of trade and investment, the environment, and energy—with a special focus on the European Union’s leadership role. The project will emphasise the importance of transparency and of participation by both economic operators and citizens in the definition of policies and related legal instruments, whether unilateral or international, as well as in their monitoring and enforcement.

“SustainEUorPlanet proposes an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the international policies, rules, and standards promoted by the European Union to support a governance model of the international economy based on equity and balance. The aim is to ensure that economic activities generate value, therefore social progress in respect of the environment and biodiversity, innovation in light of the principle of technological neutrality, and access to clean energy and essential goods”, says Elisa Baroncini, professor of International Law at the Department of Law, University of Bologna. “National and economic security strategies will be paid particular attention, with the aim of identifying paths to achieve stability to overcome tensions and geopolitical asymmetries”.

As a continuation and expansion of the previous Re-Globe Jean Monnet module , SustainEUorPlanet focuses on sustainable development as a fundamental pillar of the European Union's international action, analysing the interaction between foreign policy and trade policy and examining the rules to be applied or encouraged in these complex scenarios.

“In forming a leading and academic class of excellence, involving European Union and international public officials, politicians, representatives of NGOs, local businesses, and public administration”, adds Baroncini, “we aim to highlight the European Union’s role as a global actor in promoting a sustainability agenda for commercial, environmental, energy, and climate policies. The project will also explore ways to strengthen its strategic contribution to the challenges of the international community through a participatory method based on the international rule of law”.

Coordinated by Elisa Baroncini, the project involves nine professors and researchers from the Departments of Legal Studies, Agricultural and Food Sciences, and Cultural Heritage: Attila Tanzi, Alessandra Castellini, Annalisa Furia, Gian Maria Farnelli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Niccolò Lanzoni, Grazia Eleonora Vita, Alessandra Quarta ( project research assistant), and Klarissa Martins Sckayer Abicalam.