Normative or Market Power Europe? Elevating Global Labour Standards Through Trade in EU–ROK Relations (2011–2020)

Abstract

By applying the normative power Europe (NPE) and market power Europe (MPE) lenses, this thesis examines the European Union (EU)'s diplomatic strategy concerning the global labour agenda of the EU– Republic of Korea (ROK) relations from the provisional implementation of the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in 2011 to recent developments following the initiation of the dispute settlement procedure in 2020. The ROK has taken more decisive measures after the EU's initiation of the dispute settlement, which altered the diplomatic method from cooperation to coercion, and shifted the power nature from NPE to MPE. Despite the innovative institutional instruments in the EU's trade and sustainable development chapters, this research identifies factors that can marginalise the EU's effective exercise of power.