Abstract
The labour provisions of the EU's trade agreements have been of limited effectiveness as a means of enforcing labour standards within the jurisdictions of the respective parties. However, the author argues, these provisions could serve other useful purposes in this regard. In particular, he focuses on their potential as a framework for channelling capacity-building activities relating to labour standards through the EU's development cooperation instruments. He also considers options for increasing the potential effectiveness of labour provisions in framing capacity-building activities through a change in their design, particularly by reducing the parties’ discretion in applying the relevant provisions.