Page 150 - El État de los derechos humanos en el desarrollo sostenible

EL ETAT DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS EN EL DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE

5. In its relations with the wider world, the Union shall uphold and promote its values
and interests and contribute to the protection of its citizens. It shall contribute to

peace, security, the sustainable development of the Earth, solidarity and mutual respect

among peoples, free and fair trade, eradication of poverty and the protection of human

rights, in particular the rights of the child, as well as to the strict observance and the
development of international law, including respect for the principles of the United

Nations Charter.

Additionally, the development-oriented EU-ACP-cooperation seems to suggest economic and

social human rights shall prevail over civil and political rights. However, in practice of
European external relations, civil and political rights have clearly dominated, economic and

social rights did not play a significant role so far. In the absence of economic and social

human rights a crucial weakness of the EU human rights clauses becomes evident. The

possible suspension of preferential agreements in the case of civil and political human rights
violations do not leave the EU partners any time, space or flexibility to establish and

implement their own, national human rights programs with their own objectives. Civil rights

and welfare rights might be contradictory. An undemocratic regime might very well take
efficient measures for the reduction and eradication of poverty and develop an efficient

welfare system, while on the other side democratic regimes might establish even not

contribute to social rights at all.

By contrast, the application of the clauses focuses almost exclusively on political and civil
human rights and ignores the question of sustainable economic development, which of

course is inherently important to developing countries compared to the EU. Thus, a western-

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