Implementing One Health in the EU transition to sustainable food systems: a legal and policy analysis

The One Health approach has received increasing attention in recent years. However, its exploration from a legal and policy perspective remains scarce, particularly with regard to its integration into the transition towards sustainable food systems and its implementation within the regulatory system of the European Union. This thesis aims to fill these gaps by trying to answer the following question: is the implementation of a One Health approach into the EU’s regulatory framework aimed at transforming food systems feasible and desirable? By answering this, it seeks to make a threefold contribution. First, it aims to provide a comprehensive overview of One Health, its conceptual underpinnings, its evolution and its current status within the EU legal and policy framework. Second, it tries to delineate the potential role of One Health in the context of food systems and to identify avenues for its integration into the EU agri-food regulatory framework. Third, it proposes a practical pathway for implementing One Health, primarily within the EU's policy and legislative cycles. Methodologically, this research employs legal doctrine and positive legal analysis, taking into account relevant grey literature. Although clearly legal in nature (dealing with agri-food law, environmental law, public health law, administrative law, European law), the multifaceted nature of the issue requires an interdisciplinary approach, integrating insights from medical, veterinary and philosophical perspectives. The thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter I frames the core research problem: the needs pose by the transition to sustainable food systems (in the EU). It examines the conceptual framework of food systems, the evolution of food law in the EU, and the relevant legal instruments used to facilitate the transition to food sustainability. Chapter II focuses on One Health. It outlines its global evolution, key components and conceptual challenges, before examining its current integration into EU legislation, policies and governance structures. Bridging the previous chapters, Chapter III presents a framework for applying One Health to advance the EU's transition to sustainable food systems. Finally, Chapter IV addresses the critical issue of implementation and proposes considerations for using the EU's Better Regulation Strategy to operationalize One Health. The study concludes by summarizing its main findings and outlining avenues for further research.