Expert Seminar

Topic: “Strengthening the Role of Human Rights in the EU Trade Policy”

Date: 6th and 7th December 2011

Place: Centre Interdiocésain, Rue Guimard 1, 1040, Brussels
 

Promoting human rights is one of the explicit goals of EU trade policy. This was underlined by the EU Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht even before he took office, in a hearing before the European Parliament. According to Mr De Gucht, promoting human rights is an 'integral part' of his approach to trade policy. And indeed, since the mid-1990s, the EU has developed a systematic strategy and a sophisticated array of instruments to promote human rights in its trade policy. The main elements of this are human rights clauses in bilateral trade agreements, and comprehensive human rights criteria in the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).

On the other hand, the effectiveness and credibility of the EU's approach to human rights in its trade policy is being called into considerable doubt by many developing countries and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), as well as by UN human rights institutions. These criticisms are directed in the first instance at the narrow focus and arbitrary application of the aforementioned human rights instruments. Above all, though, the criticisms revolve around the almost exclusive orientation of the EU's own trade policy toward European economic interests, as reflected in the 'Trade, Growth and World Affairs' strategy and in the bilateral trade agreements.

In their proposal for world trade reform published in 2008 as part of the Ecofair Trade Dialogue – 'Slow Trade Sound Farming' – MISEREOR and the Heinrich Böll Foundation had already identified respect for human rights as a central principle. In light of the progress made in this debate, the Ecofair Trade Dialogue (Misereor, Heinrich Böll Foundation and Glopolis) and CIDSE are organising an expert seminar to discuss whether and to what extent the EU has lived up to its ambition and its legal obligation to promote human rights in trade policy and how human rights coherence can be improved.
 

The seminar will specifically address the following questions:

• Which are the areas where the EU trade strategy might conflict with human rights?
• Which concrete human rights problems have been identified in civil society Human Rights
• Impact Assessments (HRIA) conducted so far?
• How effective are existing human rights instruments in EU trade policy in avoiding human rights conflicts and promoting human rights in other countries?
• Which role could HRIA play to ensure human rights coherence of EU trade policy?
• How can the “draft guiding principles on human rights impact assessments of trade and investment agreements” by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, be implemented in the EU?

In the download menue you will find the full programme (PDF format) and Registration form (Word format).
Completed registration forms should be sent to Kate Durbin by no later than 31st October 2011,
either by email (durbin@cidse.org)
or by fax: +32 (0)2 230 70 82.
Contact telephone number for enquiries: +32 2 233 37 51.