Evaluation of the role of civil society in the participation structures under the European Union/Colombia/Peru/Ecuador Agreement (information report)

This Opinion was proposed to provide timely inputs to the evaluation the European Commission is carrying out to assess the impact of the EU-Colombia/Ecuador/Peru Trade Agreement. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide an evidence-based report assessing the impact of the implementation of the Agreement. The evaluation comes five years after the implementation of the Agreement with Colombia and Peru and two years after its implementation with Ecuador.

For the EESC, through this opinion, the evaluation is an opportunity to propose improvements along the lines repeatedly put forward by the European DAG, made up of the EESC and other European organisations, and to echo the great efforts made by civil society organisations to take part in the follow-up to the Agreement, presenting numerous observations, complaints and proposals to the authorities, especially to the Sub-committee on Trade and Sustainable Development.

The Agreement has served to strengthen economic and commercial links, but violations of human and trade union rights persist, particularly in Colombia. The human rights situation has worsened in certain Andean countries, while at the same time strong migration flows have occurred as a result of the situation in Venezuela. The Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council – European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean: joining forces for a common future, published in April 2019, considers it a priority issue to "further sustainable develop, human rights and good governance". This opinion would seek to look into the common values of the EU and the Andean countries and consolidate respect for democracy and human and environmental rights.