‘Desafio’ or ‘modelo’? The European Union’s international trade and Brazil, 1980s–90s

We are pleased to announce a new publication by our director Kiran K. Patel, titled “‘Desafio’ or ‘modelo’? The European Union’s international trade and Brazil, 1980s–90s”, which has just been released in the European Review of History / Revue européenne d’histoire.

This article examines the European Union’s evolving role in international trade, focusing on the universalist assumptions behind its liberalization agenda. While the EU portrayed itself as a key promoter of global trade norms, perspectives from Brazil remained ambivalent—viewing the EU as either a desafio (challenge) or a modelo (model). Although skepticism prevailed for decades, the late 1980s marked a shift, with Brazilian observers beginning to see European trade policies as a potential blueprint. The article offers new insights into how European integration and its global influence were perceived and negotiated beyond Europe.

The article is available open access via Taylor & Francis Online:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13507486.2025.2471801#abstract

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