9. Sustainable Development in EU Trade Agreements: Different Trade Partners, Different Rules?

A core component of the European Union’s (EU) commitment to combatting climate change is the international promotion of issues related to sustainable development. Historically, it has done this by means of different instruments, such as international cooperation or development aid, but recently, it has opted increasingly for trade agreements between the EU and third states. These agreements include rules on sustainable development, with the main motivation for their inclusion being to prevent ‘race-to-the-bottom’ dynamics between the EU and its trade partners. The logic underlying a ‘race-to-the-bottom’ scenario is that there is asymmetry in the ambition levels of the regulatory standards in developed countries, on the one side, and developing or transition countries, on the other. This raises the question of whether the trade agreements between the EU and its trade partners which are developing or transition countries are more detailed concerning sustainable development than those with advanced economies. The empirical analysis of 12 trade agreements reveals that the rules on sustainable development vary across the EU’s trade partners. When the trade partners are developing or transition countries, the corresponding sections in the agreements are longer and more detailed. Sustainable development is also addressed in the agreements signed with trade partners that have developed economies, but in a more concise manner.