WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1000/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Compliance with ILO conventions by the countries of Latin America
Date: 1996-04-26
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: International Labour Organisation, Latin America, child labour, developing countries, freedom of association, generalised preferences, human rights, protection of minorities, slavery













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91996E1000

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1000/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Compliance with ILO conventions by the countries of Latin America  


Official Journal C 297 , 08/10/1996 P. 0065 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1000/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (26 April 1996)Subject: Compliance with ILO conventions by the countries of Latin AmericaWhat discussions has and will the Commission have with governments from Latin American countries concerning compliance with key ILO Conventions against child and slave labour, for freedom of association and non-discrimination, and for the rights of indigenous peoples?Will the Commission make signature to and compliance with these conventions conditional to the agreement of any future bilateral agreements between the EU and these countries, either individually or en bloc?Will the Commission also seek to press the World Trade Organization to ensure compliance with these conventions in a future 'social clause' at international level?Answer given by Mr Marín on behalf of the Commission (10 June 1996)Since 1992, all the agreements the Community has concluded with third countries have stipulated that observance of democratic principles and human rights constitutes a key element of the agreements.A clause of this kind is included in the cooperation agreements with the Latin American countries and enables the Community, where necessary, to take restrictive measures proportional to the seriousness of the case. This could involve termination of the agreement or suspension of its application in whole or in part.More specifically, and in an effort to give concrete support to respect for the provisions mentioned by the Honourable Member in all Latin American countries, the Commission is backing projects for the underprivileged such as children and indigenous people and schemes designed to strengthen respect for the freedom of association and the rights of indigenous people.As for social clauses included as incentives in trade relations, it should be stressed that the new Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) provides, from 1 January 1998, for additional preferences for recipient countries which apply more advanced social policies and notably respect the content of the ILO Convention No 138 on the minimum age of employment. The aim of this objective is to offset the extra cost entailed by gearing the recipient countries' development policies to the needs of social progress.The GSP also includes a provision under which the preferential arrangements may be withdrawn at any time, in whole or in part, in the event of unacceptable practices on the part of the recipient countries. These include slave labour as defined in the Geneva Conventions of 25 September 1926 and 7 September 1956 and in ILO Conventions No 29 and No 105.