the protection of human rights is of the highest priority in the european union's relations with colombia
we are therefore following the situation in colombia very closely
we are well aware of the difficulties confronting trade unionism in colombia and the continued killings of and threats against union leaders and members
we know this from our information sources from the reports and statements issued by international treaty bodies as well as from my own discussions with bodies such as the european trade union confederation
serious concerns remain concerning the effective application of the ilo core conventions in the country
we are consistently urging the government to step up efforts to protect the most vulnerable population groups and to investigate and punish all human rights violations
recent attacks on human rights defenders and trade unionists have been the subject of démarches by the eu troika ambassadors in bogotá and were also raised during recent high-level meetings between european union and colombian officials
moreover we have recently launched a bilateral human rights dialogue with the colombian government which provides a channel for a more regular and systematic exchange of information and experience in the human rights field and will help inform technical cooperation
furthermore we are seeking to include additional guarantees in the planned multiparty trade agreement in order to improve implementation of core labour and environmental conventions in colombia as part of the sustainable development chapter
we are also proposing monitoring by civil society institutions on the implementation of labour laws
we hope that in this manner the agreement will help to improve the situation for labour rights activists in colombia
