Human Rights vs Trade: Could we draft a joint response to this?
Sir Leon Brittain was EU Trade Commissioner from 1989 - 1999. He's now making a comeback as Uk Prime Minister David Cameron's Trade Advisor. He's been quoted in Brussels yesterday as saying,
'Human rights vs. Trade
Brittan deemed "unrealistic" the possibility that the EU could push for human right clauses to be included in trade agreements, as the European Parliament advocates.
"I'm not aware of any evidence that the inclusion of such a clause has prevented any country from doing what it wants to do, or forced any country not to do what it has wanted to do. I am highly sceptical about the value of such clauses," Brittan said. '
Could we think of drafting a common response to him? Like.... if these clauses have little concrete value in practice, what can the EU and other governments do, in the ambit of trade negotiations and agreements, which would have impact and value in securing and maintaining human rights?
We might even get the EU newsletter which published this interview http://www.euractiv.com , to pose the question to him....
anyone want to join me on this one?`
MA
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Oliver Spencer on -
i would, but not sure what our position would be, as would require our legal team and europe programme to get buy in as it is a much bigger hr issue than i can deal with!
He is just picking up the old argument about implementation. The problem is that it is the responsibility of the country signing the contract to follow up and hold partners to account. If countries that sign with the EU don't implement, then surely the failure is with the EU to hold them to it? A bad government will not hold itself accountable afterall.
What would be great is if there was an example that we could wave in his face.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Ann DeVlieg on -
Well, South Africa certainly seemed to work, and I've read accounts that it was not due to the art and sport boycott but to the economic boycott....
the Palestinian boycott is also having some significant success at persuading investment funds and banks to pull out of especially companies making money from settlement-building... but that is different, I know.
I wuld not be the one to have examples of countries actually making a change in HR through their official trade agreements. But we get all the high level political rhetoric shoved in our faces (re: Obama yesterday about Palestine) and it would be nice for once the hold those fine speakers to account!
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Permalink Reply by Mary Ann DeVlieg on
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Major Dutch pension fund divests from Israeli occupation
(just an example of human rights vs trade....)
The major Dutch pension fund Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW), which has investments totaling 97 billion euros, has informed The Electronic Intifada that it has divested from almost all the Israeli companies in its portfolio.
see the whole article in http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11621.shtml , by Adri Nieuwhof and Guus Hoelen , 12 November 2010
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