Brussels, 31/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Now that the Council has given its go-ahead, the multipartite free trade agreement between the EU, Colombia and Peru may be signed in June, with a view to provisional application this autumn, once it has been endorsed by the European Parliament.
On Thursday 31 May, European trade ministers gave their approval to the signature and provisional application of a multipartite free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru. The agreement must now have the consent of the European Parliament, where the international trade committee is to present its recommendation in July, before it is voted in plenary in September. Provisional implementation of the agreement, which must also be endorsed by Colombia and Peru according to their own ratification procedures, may come by the end of the year, possibly this autumn.
The multiparty agreement provides for abolition of high customs tariffs, the elimination of technical barriers to trade, liberalisation of the services markets, protection of the EU's geographical indications, opening up of public procurement markets, a dispute settlement mechanism, and commitments on the implementation of labour and environmental standards. Based on the principle of regional integration, the agreement remains open to signature by Ecuador and Bolivia, the other members of the Andean Community, which abandoned talks in 2008 within the broader framework of a region-to-region association agreement including political dialogue and a cooperation chapter, launched in 2007.
Human rights - EP wants binding roadmap. In a resolution adopted on 30 May, the international trade committee of the European Parliament calls for a binding roadmap to be added to the agreement, in order to protect labour rights, human rights and the environment in Colombia - which, in 2011, notched up the unfortunate record of 55 trade unionists and 29 human rights activists killed or disappeared - and in Peru. The co-rapporteur, Mario David (EPP, Portugal), explained that the resolution expresses their concerns regarding human and labour rights and also sustainable development, as well as their wish to strengthen control of the same by the civil society. The aim of the resolution is to put pressure on Bogota and Lima so that they step up their efforts. Without tangible progress towards binding roadmaps, it would be difficult to pledge the Parliament's full support for the multipartite agreement, warned the other co-rapporteur, Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany). (EH/transl.jl)