The EU today requested formal consultations with the government of the Republic of Korea regarding the implementation of the sustainable development commitments under the EU-Korea trade agreement.
The aim is to open a dedicated channel of communication to find an amicable and mutually satisfactory solution to the EU’s concerns, specifically on labour rights.
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The EU has two key longstanding concerns with regard to Korea’s implementation of the commitments on trade and sustainable development:
- the respect for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) fundamental principles of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
- the outstanding ratification by Korea of four fundamental ILO Conventions: two concerning freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining and two concerning forced labour.
Both issues are closely interrelated and require a number of labour reforms in Korea.
The consultations request is here. Based on Articles 13.15 and 13.16 of the EU-Korea FTA, the remedies in this case look weaker than what is available for trade complaints.
This is the third labor-related consultations request by a government under a trade agreement that I'm aware of. The other two are: U.S. v. Guatemala and U.S. v. Bahrain. Is anyone aware of others?
