Discussions conducted within the framework of the Open Session with civil society organizations and the European Union Domestic Advisory Group (EU-DAG), are a form of cross-border social dialogue established in the context of the comprehensive trade agreement with Columbia, Peru and Ecuador and the European Union (EU).
The Open Session with civil society organizations
As part of this Agreement, Title IX on “Trade and Sustainable Development” provides for a yearly session “with civil society organizations and the public at large, in order to carry out a dialogue on matters related to the implementation of this Title”. In this Title, each Party commits to, among others things, “the promotion and effective implementation in its laws and practice and in its whole territory of internationally recognised core labour standards” and to exchanging “information on their respective situation and advancements as regards the ratification of priority ILO Conventions as well as other conventions that are classified as up-to-date by the ILO.”
The annual cross-border civil society meetings have been taking place since 2014. From the outset, the Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) established in each signatory party agreed to hold annual joint meetings organized back-to-back with the Open Session with civil society organizations. DAGs are tasked with expressing views and making recommendations on the implementation of Title IX. During these ‘DAGs to DAGs’ meetings, in-depth discussions can take place on a broad range of aspects relating to implementation of the Title. They also allow for the exchange of information and best practices and for the preparation of joint recommendations to be presented to the Parties and to other civil society representatives at the Open Session (see, for example, the statement agreed in 2016 after the second meeting addressing the issue of respecting labour standards, including ILO Conventions).
The European Union Domestic Advisory Group (EU-DAG)
While country-based DAGs are spaces for dialogue between national organizations, an EU-DAG is essentially a cross-border entity as it includes representatives of business organizations and trade unions, alongside other civil society organizations from different EU Member States (see more information on the Group’s composition). These meetings can only produce joint statements (see the joint statements).