A Social Chapter for the European Union's Economic Partnership Agreements

Abstract

REPORT□ EUROPEAN TRADERULESANDLABOURRIGHTS A Social Chapter for the European Union's Economic Partnership Agreements I rights Various 'social vehicle or promote this variations agreements through theme be chapters' forms of used labour trade can the on to of 'social chapters' orvariationson thistheme can be used to promotelabour rights throughthe vehicle oftrade agreements DR. CHRISTOPH SCHERRER is professor for Globalisation and Political Sciences at the University of Kassel, Germany FRANZISKA MÜLLER isa doctoral candidate at the Global Social Policies and Governance promotions college at the University of Kassel, Germany. According the International International to Labour studies Organisation conducted Trade (ILO) by Union and the According International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) a substantial portionof internationally traded goodsareproducedinviolationof fundamental labourand social rights. Attempts to reacha consensuswithin theWorld TradeOrganisation (WTO)regarding thedenialof commercial law protections forgoods produced undersuch circumstances have untilnow been unsuccessful. InOctober 2006Peter Mandelson, thethen trade commissioner oftheEuropean Union, announced a changein priorities in Europeantradepolicy from a multilateral approach aimedatWTOstrategiestooneofbilateral trade andinvestment agreements , the so-called Economic Partnership Agreements. In lightof the continualrejections of social clausesintrade agreements within theframework oftheWTO,thisstrategy, regardless ofitsneoliberalorientation , offers theopportunity to insert a social chapterin tradeagreements. In fact,the European Commission didincludeinthefirst EPA signed with theCaribbean countries a socialchapter .However,thischapteras well as the ones foundinthedrafts oftheother agreements leave muchto be desiredfrom thepointofprotecting fundamental labourrights. We,therefore, recognise a necessity ofstrengthening thedemands for socialchapters bymeansof concrete design recommendations. Indoingso we wereguidedbythree maxims: first, internationally agreedupon social standards shouldnot be undercut; second,reference shouldbe made to othertradeagreements forpre-existing formulations , andthird, they shouldhaverealistic chances forimplementation. Here we will highlight the mostimportant elements ofa goodsocialchapter. A Blueprint forSocial Chaptersinthe EconomicPartnership Agreements The negotiations forthe EconomicPartnership Agreements (EPAs)betweentheEuropeanUnion andtheso-called ACPstates locatedinAfrica, the Caribbean andthePacific havebeenprotracted for quitesometime.Giventhesignificant divergence ofinterests, so faronlyone agreement has been signed, withCaribbean countries groupedunder theacronym CARIFORUM. The otherregionsof theACP stateshave onlysignedInterim agreements .Whilethe drafts fortheseotherregions contained some languageon social aspects,the Interim agreements do not providefora social chapter. Further topicsof negotiation, thosethat specifically touchuponEuropean interests suchas the liberalisation of services,were designated 'Rendez-vous' clauses.TheseshouldleadtofullyfledgedEPAs following theirclarification. The opportunity toreintroduce thesocialchapters as a topic of negotiation exists because of these Rendez-vous clauses. Thelanguage inthedrafts isunsatisfactory. They do notmeasureup to chapters in existing Free Tradeagreements from theEU.Theymayactually dilute current socialstandards, as they do notcontainanymeasures for monitoring theadherence to corelabourrights. Thesocialchapter with theCaribbean countries, however, is noteworthy forfuture socialchapters. Nevertheless, thereremainsroomforimprovementespecially ifmeasured against a draft fora social chapter fora future freetradeagreement betweentheEU and theMercosur countries that was developedbythesociallegislation specialists OscarErmida Uriarte, Hugo Barretto Ghioneand OctavioCarlosRacciatti. The Governing Bodyof Latin American Trade Unions and the Confederation ofGerman TradeUnionsproposed this draft during theMercosur negotiations in2004. The EU-CARIFORUM social chapter(Chpt.5 'SocialAspects')is a chapter initsown right and not just a part of anotherchapteror simply attached as an appendix. Italso stands outforits mentioning of 'thebenefits of commerce in fair and ethical tradeproducts' (Art. 5). Third, itdoes containan explicit reference to ILO corelabour standards and the2006Ministerial declaration by the UN Economicand Social Councilon Full Employment and DecentWork(Art.191). It is, therefore, more encompassingthan previous socialclauses,e.g. in theEU GeneralSystem of Preferences. However, theEU-Mercosur draft goes further andincludes references totheDeclaration on Fundamental Principles andRights atWork of 1998, the Charter of Buenos Airesfrom2000 regarding thesocialresponsibilities in Mercosur, Boliviaand Chile,and,inthecase oftheEU,the Social Charter from1989, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights oftheEuropeanUnionfrom 2000.Whentransferred to thecase of theEPAs withtheACPstates, theEU-Mercosur draft establishes strongties betweenthe regionally valid charters on social and labour rights, e.g. the African Union'sAfrican Charter on Humanand Peoples'Rights, and theCharter on Fundamental Social Rights in the SouthAfrican Development Community. In some pointsthedraft fortheEU-Mercosur social chapterextendsbeyondILO core labour standards such thatit incorporates therights of migrant workers (Art.10) and theintegration of disabledpersons intheworkforce (Art. 11). WhiletheEU-CARIFOUM is silent on thequestion of workplaceinspection, the EU-Mercosur draft as well as the NAFTAside agreement is INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 24 Volume 16Issue 1 2009 explicit aboutgovernment's responsibilities inthis area(Art. 8; NAFTA: Art. 4). The greatest flawof theEU-CARIFORUM socialchapter, however, isits weaklanguage on monitoring andenforcement. It does provide fora consultation processon social issuesandfortheestablishment ofa three memberCommittee ofExperts inthecase...