The European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy: Advancing South Africa’s Agri-Food Trade Law

Abstract

European Union countries have pledged to become climate-neutral by 2050, fulfilling their commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The European Commission has adopted the European Green Deal to attain this goal. This minidissertation explores the European Union's climate action response and environmental sustainability efforts as embodied in the European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork strategy. It identifies and draws from it an environmental sustainability benchmark and considers how this initiative may potentially strengthen environmental sustainability in South Africa's Agri-Food Trade Law.

The benchmarking exercise hinges upon an understanding of the intersection between Trade Law and key issues such as food security, environmental sustainability, and economic development. This study delves into this intersection in the context of the long-standing trade partnership between the European Union and South Africa.