Labour standards provisions within the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapters of EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are presented as a key element of the EU's commitment to a ‘value-based trade agenda’. But criticism of TSD chapters has led the European Commission to commit to improving their implementation and enforcement, creating a critical juncture in the evolution of the EU's trade–labour linkage. This contribution synthesizes findings from academic studies that have examined the effectiveness of labour standards provisions in EU FTAs. It then considers the reform agenda as presented by the European Commission, and explains how some of the proposals could tackle failures identified. However, it also argues that there are various limitations with the Commission's current proposals, and outlines how legal obligations and institutional mechanisms created by trade agreements could better be harnessed to improve working conditions and rights at work around the world.

中文翻译：

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欧盟自由贸易协定中的劳工标准条款：对欧盟委员会改革议程的思考

欧盟自由贸易协定 (FTA) 的贸易和可持续发展 (TSD) 章节中的劳工标准条款被视为欧盟承诺“基于价值的贸易议程”的关键要素。但对 TSD 章节的批评导致欧盟委员会致力于改进其实施和执行，从而为欧盟贸易与劳工联系的演变创造了一个关键时刻。该贡献综合了研究欧盟自由贸易协定中劳工标准条款有效性的学术研究的结果。然后，它考虑了欧盟委员会提出的改革议程，并解释了其中一些提案如何解决已确定的失败。然而，它也认为委员会目前的提议存在各种限制，