Assessing the effectiveness of the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC), this book examines the operation of the core institutions (the Secretariat and National Administrative Offices) over the past seven years. It discusses the main functions of these institutions in hearing public submissions on violations of labour laws and in conducting research and cooperative activities. Based on interview research, the analysis reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the accord to assess its contribution to a common labour relations regime in North America and its impact in creating new transnational communities of actors in government and civil society in the three countries. The NAALC is also compared with the social dimension of the European Union system, and a final assessment is made as to whether the NAALC institutions live up to the promises of their founders and whether these can be a model for labour relations in any future Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement.

The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is hailed as the gold standard for trade agreements. It addresses tariffs on traded goods, favoured status for EU and Canadian exporters, trade in services, and technical barriers to trade, while also seeking coordination between government agencies to promote regulatory cooperation, harmonization, and mutual recognition of standards. As the world retreats towards populism and protectionism, CETA Implementation and Implications provides a vital examination of this contemporary economic collaboration between developed states, which serves as a model for other progressive regional trade agreements. This book offers the first in-depth, comprehensive assessment of CETA, covering many of its most important elements and exploring its obstacles, accomplishments, and early effects. Based on the European Commission-funded Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Project on CETA Implementation and Implications, which linked scholars and stakeholders across Europe and North America to analyze and evaluate the implementation and impacts of the agreement, this book covers regulation, procurement, the environment, the innovative investment disputes system, labour mobility and labour relations, bilateral governance instruments, and the implications for EU trade policy of CETA's contested ratification. Uniquely interdisciplinary and featuring contributors from around the world, CETA Implementation and Implications provides a nuanced and balanced assessment of this landmark trade agreement and its effects on regional and global trade in turbulent times.