Page 152 - El État de los derechos humanos en el desarrollo sostenible

EL ETAT DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS EN EL DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE

between the EU and the governments of the third states and involve also the civil society and
NGO´s in both the European Union and the partner countries.

Trade and cooperation agreements affect not only trade balances but also the well-being of

people, their possibility to work and in general economic and social human rights indicators

of a country. In order to give a broader effect to the EU human rights clauses and to be
consistent with internal EU law, also the possibility of states to a sustainable development

shall be taken into account. Consequently, an economic impact assessment shall be carried

out mandatorily before the entry into force of the agreements and also periodically once the

agreement has entered into force. Applying criteria of economic and social human rights
does not mean, that the protection of civil and political rights shall be limited or even

excluded. However, in some occasions political and social human rights might contradict

each other, as progress in the reduction of poverty and living conditions might not

necessarily come along with good records democracy and rule of law. It is in these cases,
where the European Union must develop a flexible policy to address these issues.

The European Union´s linkage of preferential agreements with human rights standards since

1992 was new and unique in international law. While it is true that the United States and

other countries have also incorporated some human rights commitments into their
commercial treaties, it is important to note that these approaches are not as detailed and far-

reaching of those of the European Union. The EU remains still to be leader in connecting

trade, development and human rights. However, the human rights clauses require a further
development and evolution, in order to be consistent with the European Union´s own

morals standards and criteria.

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