Nieuws
MSc thesis defence Liona Muchenje: Unpacking Ghana’s Early-Stage Response to the EU Deforestation Regulation
You are hereby invited to the MSc thesis presentation by Liona Muchenje entitled ‘From Traceability to Justice: Unpacking Ghana’s Early-Stage Response to the EU Deforestation Regulation’.
Supervisor: Dr Siera Vercillo
Examinor: Otto Hospes
Date: 12 June 2025
Time: 14-15.00 hours
Online meeting: Join the MS teams meeting
Abstract
The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), adopted in 2023, seeks to eliminate seven deforestation-linked commodities, including cocoa, palm oil, timber, and soy, from the EU market through binding traceability and due diligence requirements for operators or companies seeking to sell these on the EU market. Despite its framing as a transformative sustainability intervention, the EUDR’s unilateral nature and positioning within asymmetrical EU–Global South trade relations have generated a range of justice concerns, including the potential marginalization of smallholder farmers and locally grounded sustainability initiatives. Empirical studies of these dynamics and of how the EUDR, as a groundbreaking transnational regulation, is being implemented in producer-country contexts remain limited. Using Ghana as a case study, this qualitative inquiry addresses this gap by examining how the country’s early-stage EUDR implementation is unfolding through a just sustainability transitions (JST) lens, with particular attention to recognition, representation, and epistemic justice. The study finds that EU engagement with Ghanaian actors has provided limited space for negotiation, remaining largely informational rather than consultative. As a result, Ghana’s response is shaped primarily by compliance pressures and market access concerns, rather than through co-construction or tailored adaptation. The analysis also identifies key divergences between the EUDR and Ghana’s ARS-1000 standard, raising questions about the future role of pre-existing or parallel local initiatives within EUDR compliance. Additionally, the study finds that smallholder farmers remain structurally marginalized from decision-making at both EU and national levels and risk being positioned primarily as compliance subjects. Ultimately, this study calls for more inclusive and participatory approaches to EUDR implementation that meaningfully engage smallholder farmers and incorporate local sustainability approaches, while also ensuring that adequate financial support is provided to address the burdens of compliance.
Keywords: EUDR Implementation, EUDR in Ghana, Just Sustainability transitions, EUDR and Justice, Ghana Cocoa Sector