European Movement International : ETUC joins call for stronger human rights safeguards in EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment

In view of the upcoming Plenary session of the European Parliament, the ETUC is part of a coalition of 36 civil society organisations (CSOs) which have launched a Joint Appeal to the European Institutions calling for the inclusion of enforceable human rights clauses in the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).

In the letter, the CSOs express 'grave concern' at the omission of a human rights clause from the discussion about the agreement and its final text. They state that the omission: 'sends a signal that the European Union will push for closer cooperation [with China] regardless of the scale and severity of human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese Communist Party, even when Beijing is in direct and open violation of international treaties and continues to refuse to allow international monitoring of the human rights situation.'

The letter is addressed to the President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen; the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel; the Commissioner for Trade, Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis; the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Josep Borrell; the President of the European Parliament, Mr. David Sassoli; and Members of the European Parliament.

For more information about this letter, click here.