Brussels, 11/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - Despite the opposition of ecologists and the far left, and despite the repeated alarm calls raised by NGOs of the civil society on human rights and sustainable development matters, the European Parliament has given its go-ahead to the free trade agreements between the EU and two of its Andean partners - Colombia and Peru - and Central America (see related articles). Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and European Parliament President Martin Schulz are both confident that the agreements will bring more than trade opportunities, growth and employment.
“I am convinced that these trade deals cannot just be measured in euros or dollars”, says De Gucht in a press release, adding: “They go much further than that - by providing a framework for sustainable social development through trade in the region”. Schulz sees the agreements as “decisive steps forward in the alliance with important and fast-growing countries, like Colombia and Peru, and with the regional bloc of Central America, with whom the EU concludes the first region-to-region deal”. “Thanks to the European Parliament”, Schulz assures, “the free trade agreement goes far beyond trade: we have urged the governments of Colombia and Peru to agree on a binding roadmap on environmental, labour and human rights standards. Insisting on these aspects has already brought results: for example, the improvement of the protection of trade unionists in Colombia. We will closely follow the implementation of these roadmaps”. (EH/transl.jl)