Belgium

PLANNED ACTIONS:

Action point 8, Encourager les accords-cadres internationaux [Encourage international framework agreements] states “in the course of 2017, the Federal Public Service of Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue will organize a seminar on international framework agreements to assess the issues and scope of these transnational collective negotiations. This seminar will be an opportunity to take stock of these framework agreements and their regulatory role alongside the law; of the observed trends; and the effectiveness of these instruments for enterprises and employees of multinationals companies.”It also briefly mentions that the OECD NCPs collaborated with NGOs on the promotion of the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh”.

Action point 10, La Belgique s’engage à intégrer des critères « droits de l’Homme » et de Responsabilité sociétale des entreprises (RSE) dans la stratégie d’appui au développement du secteur privé local de la coopération belge [Belgium is committed to integrating human rights and corporate social responsibility (CSR) criteria into the local private sector development support strategy of Belgian cooperation] explains that both the management contract between the Belgian State and the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) and the Convention 2014-2017 for the implementation of the Trade for Development Center, signed between the Belgian State and the Belgian Technical Cooperation, provide that all interventions aimed at development of the sector private sector must respect certain principles of intervention, among these the respect for social and environmental aspects as wells as good governance. These two legal tools also provide reporting obligations to monitor and evaluate compliance with the principles.

Action point 11, Assurer une meilleure coordination entre les autorités fédérales et régionales afin d’intégrer des critères relatifs aux droits de l’Homme et à l’entrepreneuriat socialement responsable dans les aides publiques [Ensure better coordination between federal and regional authorities in order to integrate criteria relating to human rights and socially responsible entrepreneurship in public aid] aims at bringing together the various public services that work with Belgian companies on trade and foreign investment in order for them to exchange information at regular intervals. In this context, the government will examine a common method to integrate into the evaluation of applications the promotion of human rights and other aspects of social responsibility.

 On Action point 17, Plaider au niveau de la Belgique pour le renforcement de l’intégration du développement durable (y compris des droits de l’Homme) dans les accords de libre échange [Advocate for strengthening the integration of sustainable development (including human rights) in free trade agreements] the federal government states that during negotiations at the European level, Belgium will advocate for the respect and inclusion of fundamental labour rights and international environmental standards – including in cases of development cooperation – in investment agreements and free trade agreements. “Any new trade or investment agreement must not have negative impact on sustainable development.”

• Flanders mentions its support of the EU’s efforts to include separate chapters covering sustainable development, in which the environment, labour (including dignity in work) and transparency (including consultation with civil society) in free trade and investment agreements. Flanders aims to continue its advocacy for the inclusion of clauses promoting socially responsible entrepreneurship, including compliance and enforcements mechanisms, into these chapters.
• Flanders also mentions its support to the EU practice of always referring, in the preambles to these agreements, to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• The Flemish government also stated that it is funding the ILO project ‘Workers’ rights in globalising economies: assessment of labour provisions in trade and investment arrangements’ for an amount of € 450,000 (Flemish ILO Trust Fund). The project started in July 2014 and will be completed in the course of 2016. The main purpose of this project is to conduct a survey on how employment standards and arrangements are reflected in trade and investment agreements, and what effect these provisions have on the employment situation in the country with which the agreement was concluded.
• The region of Brussels will ensure that a HRIA has been carried out before any ratification of investment and trade agreements, and that any major negative impact on the respect, protection and promotion of human rights has not been detected in third-party countries.

On Action point 28, Exécution du Plan d’action flamand “Entrepreneuriat international durable 2014-2015-2016” (« Duurzaam Internationaal Ondernemen 2014-2015-2016 ») [Implementation of the Flemish Action Plan “Sustainable International Entrepreneurship 2014-2015-2016”] the government of Flanders explains that Flanders Investment & Trade 2015 plan includes contributing to the education of Flemish companies on socially responsible international entrepreneurship through awareness-raising activities. The FIT “wants to offer concrete information to companies, both through their website and in national dossiers, through training courses for the benefit of Flemish economic representatives and advisers in international entrepreneurship.”