General overview

Food law, a branch of the law dealing with the production and distribution of foodstuffs, is a regulatory field whose contents are to a large extent shaped by EU legislation and policies. Nonetheless, the role of EU is often underappreciated by the public and/or is blamed for neglecting national preferences; this perception is exacerbated by globalization, often considered to contribute to the disruption of local traditions. EU-FLAG will contextualize these debates, providing students and the public with a deeper understanding both of EU food law and of how it operates in a global context. 

EU food law is considered one of the most advanced regulatory systems in the world. As such, it is often a point of reference for other non-EU countries; in addition, we increasingly find provisions concerning the enforcement of EU legislation outside EU borders. In this sense, EU food law strives to shape globalization.

At once, EU food law operates within global dynamics and is shaped by them:

1. rules and standards created at international level are more and more incorporated into EU regulations;
2. the stringent rules characterizing EU food law can have a meaningful impact on the competitiveness of our agri-food system vis à vis non-EU ones.

In order to appreciate the dialogic relationship existing between EU food law and globalization, the project will focus on some key areas of food law where such relationship is more prominent.

These general goals will be achieved by organizing:

1. a course, named Food Law and Globalization, exploring how EU food law shapes and is shaped by global dynamics. The academic added value of the course is to advance the knowledge of EU food law by highlighting its dialogic interactions with globalization. Although this theme is apparently much debated, it has been under-explored from a scientific and educational perspective so far. Most of the debates focus on very specific aspects, while EU-FLAG goal is to tackle the topic in a systematic way, mapping its different facets. The goal will be achieved by adopting a seminar-style and interdisciplinary approach that favours the development of a critical approach;

2. an annual workshop open to professionals, public managers and the public and in collaboration with a scientific and/or civil society association.

The goal of the workshop is twofold:

a) representing an annual forum in which researchers, phd students, public administrators, professional groups, civil society representatives can critically discuss the relations between food law and globalization;
b) offering to the general public a chance to increase their awareness about food law, globalization and their mutual interactions.

The topic of the workshop will change every year:
1st year: food law and open science in the age of globalization;
2nd year: food law and communication in the age of globalization;
3rd year: food law and wine export in the age of globalization.