The report calls on the Commission to implement its recommendations with regard to trade agreements that are currently under negotiation, such as TTIP, as well future trade agreements.

Eleonora Forenza, Rapporteur for the parliamentary report and GUE/NGL MEP, comments: “The report sends a strong message that the European Parliament calls for legally binding human rights and social and environmental standards in the EU's international trade agreements.”

Forenza continues: “The resolution also calls for the European Commission to act within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to promote the setting of enforceable rules for the sustainable management of global supply chains by multinational companies.”

“In addition, it insists that countries signing trade agreements with the EU must also ratify and implement the ILO's core labour conventions, as well as reasserting the need to maintain and strengthen the role of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in international trade agreement negotiations.

“It calls for full transparency in the negotiations, which is still lacking in the ongoing negotiations on agreements such as TTIP and TiSA. This lack of transparency is one the reasons why people don’t trust EU policies.

“After the Brexit vote, we cannot continue business as usual. Globalisation has not only seen the growth of international trade, but also growing inequality and social injustice. Therefore, trade policy in particular must change.

“We must stop the reduction of social and labour rights, and the implementation of the neoliberal agenda. Human rights and social rights must always come before profit,” she concludes.

GUE/NGL Press Contact:

Nikki Sullings  +33 3881 76723 / +32 483 03 55 75

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20