EU trade agreements now frequently include chapters on trade and sustainable development (TSD). However, in recent years, the EU’s cooperation-based approach has been subject to much criticism. On 7 March 2025 LawGov’s Stefan Mayr discussed the shortcomings of the EU’s traditional approach as well as the new sanctions-based model (which was for the first time implemented in the 2024 EU-New Zealand FTA) and further ways to improve the effectiveness of TSD chapters. Overall, the conference at the University of Innsbruck cast a light on the EU’s pathways towards sustainability.