New Guidelines on the analysis of human rights impacts in impact assessments
Analysis | Brussels, 2 July 2015
DG Trade publishes Guidelines on the analysis of human rights impacts in impact assessments of trade-related policy initiatives.
The Guidelines fulfil the commitment made in the EU’s 2012 Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy to develop “a methodology to aid consideration of the human rights situation in third countries in connection with the launch or conclusion of trade and/or investment agreements”.
The Guidelines are intended to help with the analysis of the potential impacts of trade policy initiatives on human rights in both the EU and the partner country/ies. This analysis will be done when conducting Impact Assessments (IAs), Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) or ex post evaluations.
The guidelines form part of the Better Regulation agenda adopted by the Commission on 19 May 2015. They form so-called third level guidance under the specific Better Regulation guidelines.
They build on the Commission's experience with conducting impact assessments and evaluations of trade initiatives, as well as the recent academic literature on human rights impact assessments.
These Guidelines will also complement the Second edition of the SIA Handbook on which a public consultation is currently underway until 14 August 2015 .
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