The EU has committed to upholding and promoting human rights and democracy in its external action, as outlined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Its trade and investment policy is to be conducted while observing these principles, as outlined in Article 207 of the TEU.

In February 2020, Parliament is expected to give or reject its consent to the free trade agreement (FTA) and investment protection agreement (IPA) between the EU and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The EU-Vietnam FTA has a trade and sustainable development chapter (TSD) that is void of effective and credible enforcement mechanisms, and the court system established by the IPA does not provide for an effective recourse to remedy for people in case their fundamental rights are violated by EU investors or the host state.

The situation of labour, human and environmental rights arguably got worse since the entry into force of the EU-Vietnam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

Is the Commission working on a solution in order to integrate the TSD chapter in the scope of the General Dispute Settlement Mechanism, so as to place it on an equal footing with other parts of the agreement?