Human Rights, Labour Standards, and Environmental Standards in CETA

This chapter discusses the provisions in the Canada–EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on the protection of labour and environmental standards and human rights. It first outlines the obligations of the parties to protect labour and environmental standards, human rights, and democratic principles. Next, it discusses certain means by which the economic obligations of the parties may be interpreted, either expressly or by implication, to reflect these values. Third, it analyses the rights of the parties, in the context of exceptions, to adopt measures to protect labour and environmental standards and human rights obligations, and the extent to which CETA’s obligations might expand the ordinary jurisdictional scope of these rights.