Commissioner Malmström unveils 15-point plan to make EU trade and sustainable development chapters more effective

Today, Commissioner Malmström has outlined the EU’s revamped approach to trade and sustainability in its trade agreements.

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The Commission launched a debate in July 2017 on how to better implement and enforce the EU's trade and sustainability chapters in its free trade agreements. At that stage, it presented a paper outlining several options in order to provoke discussion.

Since this date, the Commission has been engaging with member states, the European Parliament as well as civil society. Member states, MEPs as well as a wide variety of interested stakeholders submitted ideas, contributing to a constructive and vibrant debate.

The Commission has now identified 15 action points for which a consensus has emerged. Among those 15 points are: ensuring that countries comply with their commitments through more assertive enforcement; facilitating the monitoring role of civil society; and making EU resources available to support the implementation of sustainable development chapters in trade agreements.