Essential elements' clauses in EU Trade Agreements: making trade work in a way that helps Human Rights?

• Autores: Nicolas Hachez
• Localización: Cuadernos europeos de Deusto, ISSN 1130-8354, Nº 53, 2015 (Ejemplar dedicado a: The European Union's Policy for Human Rights and Democracy support: a critical assessment), págs. 81-106
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    Este artículo examina de una manera crítica la política europea de incluir cláusulas de "elementos esenciales" en acuerdos comerciales, como principal medio para la realización del nexo comercio-derechos humano exigido por la obligación de la UE de articular sus relaciones externas para la promoción de sus valores fundamentales. Después de estudiar la anatomía de dichas cláusulas, el artículo se propone analizar las críticas que estas cláusulas han generado en relación con (i) el hecho de que no todos los acuerdos comerciales de la UE contienen estas cláusulas, (ii) su redacción y alcance, y (iii) su evaluación e implementación. El artículo concluirá con una valoración de la efectividad y legitimidad de esta política y de la manera en la que influye sobre la credibilidad del programa normativo de las relaciones exteriores de UE.

  • English

    This article critically examines the EU policy of including "essential elements" clauses in trade agreements as the principal avenue for the realization of the trade-human rights nexus required by the EU�s treaty obligation to use its external relations for the promotion of its core values. After evaluating the anatomy of such clauses, the article sets out to analyze the criticism which they have generated regarding (i) the fact that such clauses are not contained in all EU trade agreements, (ii) their drafting and scope, and (iii) their monitoring and enforcement. The article then concludes with an assessment of the effectiveness and legitimacy of this policy, and of the way it impacts the credibility of the EU�s normative external relations agenda.

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