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“The objective of Community development co-operation policy is to foster
sustainable development designed to eradicate poverty in developing countries
and to integrate them into the world economy. This can only be achieved
by pursuing policies that promote the consolidation of democracy, the rule of
law, good governance and the respect for human rights.” 52
If human rights, the rule of law, democracy and sustainable development build
the framework for the guidelines and objectives of development policy of the EU,
then it has to be asked, how the EU-Commission’s triad composed of foreign trade,
foreign policy and development policy can be harmonized. In the same way it should
be asked how such normative statements like that of the human rights clause contained
in a EU-MERCOSUR free trade agreement can be put into practice and how
it can be supervised: It is indeed questionable, how the noble claim of human rights
in its broadest form can be harmonized – given the reality of a competitive global
economy - with a free trade agreement, which in its most basic configuration aims
to liberalize trade, investment and capital flows, to open markets, and liberalize the
service market for public goods as well as for government procurement.
The issue of human rights will be explicitly mentioned in the proposed agreement,
following the model EU-Mexico and EU-Chile. According to the EU Commissioner
in charge of External Relations, Chris Patten, the proposed “Interregional
Association Agreement” between the EU and MERCOSUR should combine trade
and development in a way that would permit the evolution – in a dynamic process
– of democracy and human rights.
[Continuation of the quotation by Chris Patten]
“It will create a free trade area covering nearly 600 million people. By doing
this, it will generate democratic development, growing prosperity and respect
of human rights. Where prosperity reigns, democracy and human rights can
take firm root. [...] We are seeking a wide political and economic partnership,
building on our common commitment to liberty, democracy, respect for human
rights, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and sustainable development.”
53
Contrary to these kinds of pompous and at the same time magical prophecies,
now and then even European government representatives prefer verbal skepticism:
“Also within the EU, a lot has to be done in terms of coherence, given the fact
that there are still large contradictions between EU trade policy, EU agricultural
52 http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/development/mission_en.htm.
53 http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/news/patten/speech_00_422.htma.
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