Monday 11 May 2026: 1pm – 2.30pm
Kaleide Theatre, RMIT University, 360 Swanston Street, Melbourne, 3000
“The world we live in is brutal, harsh and unforgiving. It feels upside down. What we knew as certainties are in question. The comfort blanket of yesterday is ripped away. It is confronting,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during an address to federal parliament on 24 March, the day the EU–Australia free trade agreement was signed.
The global upheavals taking place now put the future of the world in great doubt. While many international systems need reform, stability and predictability remain crucial. In the context of many long-standing certainties being thrown into doubt, this panel explores the role and the potential of the EU’s efforts to conclude trade agreements, including those with Mercosur, India and, recently, Australia. Join the EUATRAN Centre for this commemoration of Europe Day 2026.
Speakers:
Associate Professor Rajesh Sharma is an expert on international trade law, an editor of several international law and policy journals, and has prominence in the area of WTO Studies. He coordinates the Legal and Dispute Study stream of Criminology and Justice at RMIT. He researchers and publishes in fields ranging from energy innovation, international dispute resolution and trade policy.
Professor Julian Lee is Co-Director of the EUATRAN Centre for Excellence, and Associate Dean for Global and Language Studies. He is the editors of several books, including Narratives of Globalization.
Jimena Laguna Pineda conducted research into the EU–Mercosur trade agreement as part of her internship in the EUATRAN Centre of Excellence and presented her findings at the 2025 European Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Presented by the EUATRAN Centre of Excellence and Social Equity Research Centre at RMIT University and co-funded by the Jean Monnet Activities Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Project number: 101176871 –– EUATRAN
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