On 13 July, Dr Lorand Bartels presented his study entitled "Human rights provisions in EPAs in light of the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement" to the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament.
The study considered the meaning of certain provisions in the EU's Economic Partnership Agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries referring to the human rights clause in the overarching Cotonou Agreement following that agreement's expiry in 2020. It concluded that these provisions incorporated the fundamental principle of respect for human rights set out in the Cotonou Agreement, but also that that agreement's elaborate mechanism enabling a party to adopt 'appropriate measures' in the event of violations of this principle would be replaced by a more primitive remedy under treaty law.
A video of the proceedings is available on the Committee's website.