The Free Trade Agreement between Colombia / Peru and the EU
26. 02 - 01.03.2012, Delegation from Colombia, 28.02.2012 expert's roundtable
In spring 2010 the European Commission signed a tentative free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia and Peru, aiming to provide free market access for products, services and investments. According to the rules of the Lisbon Treaty the agreement cannot enter into force without the assent of the European Parliament.
However, the human rights situation in Colombia and the breach of international labour, social and environmental standards as well as the weak involvement of civil society in the monitoring of the agreement are the main concerns and points of criticism. Therefore also the approval within the European Parliament later this year is not without controversy.
To make a contribution to this debate and to enable a dialogue between Colombian and European decision makers, the EU office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung invited end of February a delegation of Columbian parliamentarians, trade unionists and business representatives to Brussels.
The participants of the seminar met with representatives of the EU institutions as well as Brussels based NGOs and think tanks to discuss pros and cons of the FTA with Colombia and to get insights into the ongoing debate and next proceedings at European level. In addition to these bilateral talks, a public conference was organized in the European Parliament in cooperation with MEP Bernd Lange.
The incoming was organized in cooperation with the FES Office in Colombia (www.fescol.org) and the FES Headquarters in Berlin (www.fes.de).
Contact: Friederike.Kamm(at)fes-europe.eu
