Is European Union Promoting Human Rights abroad through its Foreign Direct Investment Policy?

165 Pages·2016·1.86 MB·English

SÉRGIO PEDRO

EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Is European Union Promoting Human Rights abroad through its Foreign Direct
Investment Policy? An analysis on the Normative Power Europe thesis.

Dissertação com vista à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Direito em Direito
Público

Orientador:
Francisco Pereira Coutinho,
Professor da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Março de 2016
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Declaração anti plágio

Eu, Sérgio Filipe Soares Pedro , declaro que o texto apresentado infra é da minha
exclusiva autoria, sendo que todas contribuições de outros Autores encontram-se
devidamente referenciadas , em cumprimento do disposto no art. 20.º-A do
Regulamento do 2.º Ciclo de estudos da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Nova
de Lisboa.

Coimbra, 12 de Março de 2016
EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SÉRGIO PEDRO

RESUMO
A aquisição, por meio do Tratado de Lisboa, da competência exclusiva na
negociação de tratados de comércio e investimento, comprometendo todos os
Estados membros da União Europeia, representa uma mudança relevante no papel
da União Europeia enquanto ator global.
A relação entre os direitos humanos e o investimento directo estrangeiro
representa uma busca para a densificação do ideal cosmopolita da dignidade humana
na realidade do século XXI.
Sendo considerado como uma referência para a defesa e promoção dos direitos
humanos em todo o mundo, o projecto da União Europeia apresenta o objectivo de
ser uma referência chave num campo onde as críticas surgem entre as evidências da
existência de um modelo internacional que, ativa e passivamente, contribui para a
perpetração de violações dos direitos humanos e em violação da soberania nacional
dos Estados envolvidos.
Constitui intuito principal da presente dissertação a avaliação da evolução do
mecanismo jurídico dos tratados internacionais de investimento na União Europeia,
atribuindo um foco particular sobre as ferramentas recém-adquiridas, tomando em
consideração a sua concatenação com os direitos humanos, as obrigações
internacionais da União Europeia e seus Estados Membros neste domínio e o debate
académico e político sobre a fragmentação do direito Internacional.
Propomos confrontar os compromissos internacionais da União Europeia com o
respeito e efectividade dos direitos humanos na sua política externa à luz da tese do
"Poder Normativo Europeu" em todas as suas configurações, analisando o padrão
de respeito dos Direitos Humanos promovido dentro e fora da União Europeia.
Para cumprir tal objetivo iremos analisar o novo modelo de Acordo de Investimento
Internacional da União Europeia e respectivas ferramentas de avaliação de impacto
e responsabilização sobre os direitos humanos através da lente das obrigações
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EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SÉRGIO PEDRO

internacionais e Europeias de respeito dos direitos humanos, evidenciando as
possíveis etapas futuras da política comercial comum.

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EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SÉRGIO PEDRO

ABSTRACT
The acquisition, through the Treaty of Lisbon, of the exclusive competence in the
negotiation of trade and investment agreements , binding all European Union
member states, represents a significant change in the role of the European Union as
a global actor.
The relationship between human rights and foreign direct investment is a search for
the densification of the cosmopolitan ideal of human dignity in the reality of twenty-
first century.
Being regarded as an iconic figure for the defense and promotion of human rights
around the world, the EU project has the objective to be a key reference in a field
where critics arise between the evidences of the existence of an international model
that active and passively contributes to the perpetration of human rights violations
and the violation of the national sovereignty of the states involved.
It is the main purpose of this thesis to assess the evolution of the legal mechanism
of international investment treaties in the European Union.
A particular focus will be given on newly acquired tools taking into account the
concatenation to human rights, international obligations of the European Union and
its Member States and the academic and political debate of the fragmentation of
international law.
We propose a comparison of the international commitments of the European Union
with the respect of human rights in the latter´s foreign policy, and the thesis of the
"Normative Power Europe" in all its settings by analyzing the pattern of human
rights promoted within and outside the Union European.
To accomplish this goal we will analyze the new International Investment
Agreement model of the European Union and its impact assessment and
accountability tools on human rights through the lens of international premises and
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EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SÉRGIO PEDRO

European respect for human rights, highlighting possible future steps for the EU´s
common commercial policy.

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EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SÉRGIO PEDRO

List of abbreviations

ACP The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
Art. Article/Articles
BIT Bilateral Investment Treaty
CAFTA Central America Free Trade Agreement
CCP Common Commercial Policy
CESCR Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
CETA Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
CFSP Common Foreign and Security Policy
CSO Civil Society Organization
DG Relex Directorate General External Relations of the European EC
DG Trade Directorate General Trade of the European Commission
EC European Commission
ECJ European Court of Justice
ECT Energy Charter Treaty
ECHR European Convention of Human Rights
ECtHR European Court of Human Rights
EP European Parliament
EU European Union
EUCFR European Charter of Fundamental Rights
EUMS European Union Member States
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
FF. Following pages
FRA Fundamental Rights Agency
FTA Free Trade Agreement
HR Human Rights
HRIA Human Rights Impact Assessment
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EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SÉRGIO PEDRO

HRFASP High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy
ICC International Chamber of Commerce
ICJ International Court of Justice
ICS Investment Court System
ICSID International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes
IIA International Investment Agreement
IL International Law
INTA European Parliament Committee on International Trade
ISDS Investor-state Dispute Settlement
MAI Multilateral Agreement on Investment
MEP Member of European Parliament
MERCOSUR Common Market of the South
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NPE Normative Power Europe
NYC New York Convention
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OLP Ordinary Legislative Procedure
P. Page
Para. Paragraph
PP. Pages
QMV Qualified Majority Voting
SCC Stockholm Chamber of Commerce
SIA Sustainable Impact Assessment
TEC Treaty establishing the European Community
TEU Treaty on European Union
TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
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