Transição ecológica em processos de integração regional: União Europeia e Mercosul

Abstract

The ecological transition is based on the idea of the need for a progressive change in our modes of production and consumption, our way of working and living in society towards sustainability. Considering that the transition must be carried out in multiple spheres local, national, regional and global here we focus on the processes of regional integration: European Union and Mercosur. The objective of this article is to make some considerations about the ecological transition in the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, observing whether or not the guidelines adopted for this purpose enable a progressive mutation or adaptation towards sustainability. The central question that drives our reflections revolves around the existence or not of legal norms –normative foundations that indicate paths for this transition in the EU and Mercosur, by allowing us to deal with the irreversible changes underway. Therefore, we initially held a discussion on the concept of ecological transition, identifying that there are discourses that point to different legal paths for its implementation. Then, based on exploratory research, we observed that in community law there are norms that specifically deal with the ecological transition, while in Mercosur these discussions have only recently begun. However, although these standards exist, there are also contradictions between the policies adopted, which leads to the need for further research. Finally, it was possible to bring to light some of the legal conditions that we consider relevant for this ecological transition.