The EU’s weak promotional policy towards sustainability in its free trade arguments is up for revision. Labour and environmental standards need to be tightened. They were given a boost on balance by a remarkable panel ruling of January 2021 in the long-standing EU–Korea labour dispute. Compliance ought to be subject to regular dispute settlement between governments. Sanctions must be added to the EU’s toolbox, going beyond trade retaliation. Private stakeholders should become more involved in monitoring and enforcement, both at the international and at the domestic level. All this will put an extra responsibility on the EU and its Member States to protect their labour force and the environment as well.

中文翻译：

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重组欧盟自由贸易协定中的可持续性标准

欧盟在其自由贸易论点中对可持续性的薄弱促进政策有待修正。劳工和环境标准需要收紧。2021 年 1 月，在长期存在的欧盟-韩国劳资纠纷中，专家组做出了一项非凡的裁决，使他们在平衡方面得到了提振。合规性应受政府之间定期争端解决的约束。制裁必须添加到欧盟的工具箱中，而不仅仅是贸易报复。私人利益相关者应更多地参与国际和国内层面的监测和执法。所有这一切都将使欧盟及其成员国承担额外的责任，以保护其劳动力和环境。