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BackAt a hearing this week in the Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament, representatives of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), non-governmental organisations and MEPs discussed the effects the Free Trade Agreement of the EU with Columbia would have on the human rights situation. For the first time in the history of trade agreements, a roadmap was agreed with the negotiating partners, which shall see to it that human rights are improved. However, in spite of this additional agreement, the speakers so far have not been able to identify any significant actual progress. In fact, only this year, 16 trade unionists in Columbia were murdered.
Juan Carlos Monge of the Columbia Office of the UN Commission on Human Rights made it clear right from the beginning that any effects of the new EU Free Trade Agreement on human rights could not be assessed yet. However, one could see some progress. There was, for example, a restitution law to compensate victims of decades of armed conflict. Measures had also been taken to return land and to improve the situation of the indigenous population. Apart from that, negotiations had been going on with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). However, the sustainability of the Land Restitution Act was questionable and people would continue to suffer. There had already been many protests by various groups of the population this year. Threats and attacks on human rights activists were also continuing. This year alone, 37 activists had been murdered.
Diego Martinez, Director of MOVICE (National Movement of Victims of State Crimes) reported that the Trade Agreement with the United States had unfortunately aggravated the situation and that workers’ rights had suffered. The programme to return land to the population had made the situation worse, although there had been hope that it would improve. It had been a well-intended measure, which unfortunately had not been successful. Apart from that, the process was far too slow - of 4,000 applications for land restitution, only 425 had been processed. The Ministry of Defence was delaying the process. There were still conflicts with paramilitary groups; activists would be arrested at random and trade unionists were still being murdered - 16 labour representatives had already been murdered this year. Commenting on the agreed roadmap for the Trade Agreement, Martinez said that this instrument was bound to fail because the human rights situation was not assessed properly.
Winston Gallego of the coordination group Columbia-EU-USA reported that in particular farmers and the rural population had suffered under the land confiscation. 80 percent of the land was now in the hands of 4 percent of the population. Such an unequal distribution of land was unique in the world. The land was excessively farmed; in particular in respect of animal husbandry and biofuel plants such as sugar cane and palm oil. 6 million hectare had been confiscated during the armed conflict and now the land was not properly allocated - small farmers would not benefit from the new laws. Activists were still threatened. Compared to ten years ago, the situation had even deteriorated.
MEP Bernd Lange commented that a Trade Agreement could not be the solution for all problems of a country and there were many different problems in Columbia. Products such as palm oil or coal had already been duty-free under the Generalized System of Preferences GSP+; this was not changed by the Agreement. But the new Trade Agreement of the EU with Columbia could bring improvements. However, Lange said that even a good sustainability chapter and a strong human rights section was a blunt sword, but to achieve more had not been possible due to the necessary unanimity in the Council. It was, however, possible to agree with Columbia and Peru on the roadmap for an improved human rights situation. This was unique, because never before had a government been obligated to submit a roadmap on human rights. Included were a consultation committee for collective rights, a significant increase in the number of health and safety executives and a ban on cooperatives, which undermine collective agreements. What is important now is that this Agreement is complied with, said Lange. The Agreement had only come into force in August. An implementation seminar had been scheduled for March; the idea behind it was to once again intensify the efforts for implementing the roadmap. Lange concluded his comments by demanding that violence against trade unionists had to be “reduced to zero”. The number of company inspections had to increase significantly; any fines imposed on companies had to be collected. And cooperatives had at last to be a thing of the past; unfortunately there were still some left.
However, MEPs Richard Howitt of the Social Democrats and Jürgen Klute of the European Left were not pleased with the trade agreement: there will still human rights violations. Klute asks himself whether the roadmap was sufficient, but is not convinced. EU representative Elisabeth Jeggle asked what one could do. She was under the impression that it might be better to return to a pure trade agreement was the somewhat strange position of the MEP.
Nevertheless, at the end of the event, a Commission official commented that the compliance to human rights was an extremely important foreign policy objective of trade policy. A statement, which the Commission would not have made a few years ago. The Agreement would strengthen civil society. The Commission was prepared to take further measures in the context of bilateral negotiations.
It will probably take some time until the human rights situation in Columbia actually improves. Unfortunately, it had not been possible to integrate binding measures in the Agreement; one can therefore only hope that the instrument of the roadmap will nevertheless bring improvements in the end.
Diego Martinez, Director of MOVICE (National Movement of Victims of State Crimes) reported that the Trade Agreement with the United States had unfortunately aggravated the situation and that workers’ rights had suffered. The programme to return land to the population had made the situation worse, although there had been hope that it would improve. It had been a well-intended measure, which unfortunately had not been successful. Apart from that, the process was far too slow - of 4,000 applications for land restitution, only 425 had been processed. The Ministry of Defence was delaying the process. There were still conflicts with paramilitary groups; activists would be arrested at random and trade unionists were still being murdered - 16 labour representatives had already been murdered this year. Commenting on the agreed roadmap for the Trade Agreement, Martinez said that this instrument was bound to fail because the human rights situation was not assessed properly.
Winston Gallego of the coordination group Columbia-EU-USA reported that in particular farmers and the rural population had suffered under the land confiscation. 80 percent of the land was now in the hands of 4 percent of the population. Such an unequal distribution of land was unique in the world. The land was excessively farmed; in particular in respect of animal husbandry and biofuel plants such as sugar cane and palm oil. 6 million hectare had been confiscated during the armed conflict and now the land was not properly allocated - small farmers would not benefit from the new laws. Activists were still threatened. Compared to ten years ago, the situation had even deteriorated.
MEP Bernd Lange commented that a Trade Agreement could not be the solution for all problems of a country and there were many different problems in Columbia. Products such as palm oil or coal had already been duty-free under the Generalized System of Preferences GSP+; this was not changed by the Agreement. But the new Trade Agreement of the EU with Columbia could bring improvements. However, Lange said that even a good sustainability chapter and a strong human rights section was a blunt sword, but to achieve more had not been possible due to the necessary unanimity in the Council. It was, however, possible to agree with Columbia and Peru on the roadmap for an improved human rights situation. This was unique, because never before had a government been obligated to submit a roadmap on human rights. Included were a consultation committee for collective rights, a significant increase in the number of health and safety executives and a ban on cooperatives, which undermine collective agreements. What is important now is that this Agreement is complied with, said Lange. The Agreement had only come into force in August. An implementation seminar had been scheduled for March; the idea behind it was to once again intensify the efforts for implementing the roadmap. Lange concluded his comments by demanding that violence against trade unionists had to be “reduced to zero”. The number of company inspections had to increase significantly; any fines imposed on companies had to be collected. And cooperatives had at last to be a thing of the past; unfortunately there were still some left.
However, MEPs Richard Howitt of the Social Democrats and Jürgen Klute of the European Left were not pleased with the trade agreement: there will still human rights violations. Klute asks himself whether the roadmap was sufficient, but is not convinced. EU representative Elisabeth Jeggle asked what one could do. She was under the impression that it might be better to return to a pure trade agreement was the somewhat strange position of the MEP.
Nevertheless, at the end of the event, a Commission official commented that the compliance to human rights was an extremely important foreign policy objective of trade policy. A statement, which the Commission would not have made a few years ago. The Agreement would strengthen civil society. The Commission was prepared to take further measures in the context of bilateral negotiations.
It will probably take some time until the human rights situation in Columbia actually improves. Unfortunately, it had not been possible to integrate binding measures in the Agreement; one can therefore only hope that the instrument of the roadmap will nevertheless bring improvements in the end.