Law Blogs Maastricht

Everyone learns by attending academic events where best practices prevail. There is value in observing the work of experts and in being exposed to different ideas that can serve as models. After all, participants–both active and passive–can benefit from following an academic etiquette that helps secure the development of ideas and the nurturing of enriching social and academic behaviours

On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down its much anticipated Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change. This case represents the highest example of climate litigation to date, with the Court joining numerous other international courts and tribunals which have examined states’ obligations with regard to their activities in the field of climate. This blog will review the Court’s key considerations in this extensive Advisory Opinion.

How might the IACtHR Advisory Opinion on climate emergency and human rights reshape the Plastics Treaty negotiations?

From 8–13 June 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, as part of the Maastricht-São Paulo delegation. I participated as a scientific delegate (not representing the interests of any nation), affiliated as a Lecturer at Maastricht University Faculty of Law and a Researcher at CEDMAR (the Centre for Studies on the Law of the Seas at the University of São Paulo).

For decades, multilateralism has been the guiding principle for regulating international trade relations between states. The European Union (EU) has long championed this approach, firmly believing that global cooperation - ideally through consensus among all countries - is the most effective way to govern state trade relations. As a fallback, the EU has also supported plurilateralism, where a critical mass of countries agrees on rules even if not everyone is on board.