In February 2026, Professors Cristina Contartese (University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”) and Luca Pantaleo (University of Calabria) hosted the conference “Make it better: Rethinking sustainable development in the EU’s external relations law and practice”. The event marked the conclusion of their EU-funded research project and was accompanied by the launch of the project’s edited volume. Drawing on this edited volume, Birgit Hollaus and Tamás Molnár participated in a panel on the interaction between EU law and international law. Birgit examined the potential of environmental human rights to advance sustainable development within and beyond the EU, highlighting – with reference to the Aarhus Convention and the evolving case law of the European Court of Human Rights – the importance of constructive interaction between legal orders. Tamás, in turn, addressed the continuing role of general international law, emphasising how its judicial articulation, including in the recent ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change, and its broader reception by and mediatization through EU law can enhance the effectiveness of sustainability-related obligations. 

Moderated by Stefan Mayr, the discussion also addressed broader themes, including the mutual reinforcement of EU and international law and the potential of shifting conceptual approaches – from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism – for a more comprehensive realisation of sustainable development.