Brussels, 14/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - South American civil society NGOs and environmentalist and Communist MEPs are unhappy with the roadmap on human rights demanded by the European Parliament before it ratifies the free-trade deal with Colombia and Peru.
The roadmap which Peruvian and Colombian authorities will, at the request of the European Parliament, have to put in place to protect trade unionists, human rights and the environment “lacks binding mechanisms which will ensure sustainable development”, in the view of the ALOP, Grupo Sur and Oidhaco organisations. “This roadmap does not satisfy the concerns of European, Colombian or Peruvian civil society and makes the same mistake as the one that accompanies the agreement between the United States and Colombia, failing to put in place measureable and verifiable benchmarks of improvement in the situation with regard to labour and human rights and the environment, prior to ratification of the agreement by the European Parliament”, they argue. The United Confederation of Workers of Colombia (CUT) notes that the conclusions and recommendations of an ILO (International Labour Organisation) mission to Colombia in 2012 have still to be published and that, already this year, seven trade unionists have been murdered in the country. Furthermore, Bogota has still not passed any basic law, such as labour law.
German MEP Jürgen Klute (GUE/NGL) said the roadmap “does not provide the minimum conditions to help bring about an improvement in labour and human rights and the environment” but should be implemented and assessed before the Parliament ratifies the agreement. Catherine Grèze (Greens/EFA, France) regrets that the roadmap “does not insist on a responsible attitude on the part of European companies or include the European institutions in the drafting of the instrument, thereby giving the Peruvian and Colombian governments a free hand”.
In a resolution adopted on 13 June, the European Parliament, which is expected to vote on ratifying the multi-partite free-trade agreement between the EU, Colombia and Peru in October, called on the governments of the two countries to put in place a “transparent and binding” roadmap guaranteeing protection for human rights, trade unionists and the environment (see EUROPE 10633). (EH/transl.rt)