RIGHTS FOR BUSINESS, NOT FOR PEOPLE: THE EU’S AGENDA

The document criticizes the European Union for promoting a 'one-sided' legal framework that empowers corporations via Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in trade deals like TTIP and CETA, while simultaneously resisting a legally binding UN treaty on business and human rights. It highlights the inadequacy of the EU's reliance on voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guidelines and the UN Guiding Principles (UNGP), noting that such 'soft laws' fail to provide victims of corporate abuse with effective access to justice or enforceable sanctions.

• The EU is a global leader in the use of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), with its 28 member states having signed 1,545 bilateral investment treaties (BITs), which represents more than half of all such treaties worldwide.
• The ISDS system is described as an unjust and undemocratic parallel legal system that allows foreign investors to sue governments for financial compensation when regulations affect profits, potentially causing a 'regulatory chill' on public interest legislation.
• The EU is attempting to expand the reach of corporate tribunals through major trade agreements, including CETA with Canada, TTIP with the US, and a negotiated Investment Agreement with China.
• The EU has actively worked to frustrate and derail the UN Human Rights Council's process to establish a binding treaty for businesses and human rights, preferring a reliance on voluntary principles.
• The EU's approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is criticized for lacking a coherent, robust, or legally binding policy, leaving victims of corporate abuse with limited and non-binding avenues for redress, such as OECD National Contact Points.
• Despite the EU's promotion of the UN Guiding Principles (UNGP), implementation is low, with only seven of the 28 member states having adopted a National Action Plan (NAP) since 2011.

APA

Flues, F., & van Schaik, A. (2015). RIGHTS FOR BUSINESS, NOT FOR PEOPLE: THE EU’S AGENDA. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ttip_un_treaty_report_v13_screen.pdf

Chicago

Flues, Fabian, and Anne van Schaik. RIGHTS FOR BUSINESS, NOT FOR PEOPLE: THE EU’S AGENDA. Friends of the Earth International, 2015. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ttip_un_treaty_report_v13_screen.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Flues |first1=Fabian |last2=van Schaik |first2=Anne |title=RIGHTS FOR BUSINESS, NOT FOR PEOPLE: THE EU’S AGENDA |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=November 2015 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ttip_un_treaty_report_v13_screen.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{flues2015rights, author = {Flues, Fabian and van Schaik, Anne}, title = {{RIGHTS FOR BUSINESS, NOT FOR PEOPLE: THE EU’S AGENDA}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ttip_un_treaty_report_v13_screen.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }