This book demonstrates how human rights obligations of the EU foreign constitution can be operationalized in the realm of international economic legislation. The content is divided into three major parts, the first of which outlines the legal foundations needed for the EU to become a shaper of the international investment regime, which include the general principles and objectives of EU foreign policies, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, international human rights and the EU’s investment competences. The second part demonstrates the current international investment regime’s incompatibility with human rights interests, while the third analyzes two mechanisms stemming from trade Law – ex-ante human rights impact assessments and civil society monitoring bodies – and explores whether they could help mitigate the current inequalities in rights protection. The potential of these mechanisms, the book argues, lies in their capacity to ensure a comprehensive assessment of all interests at stake, and to empower traditionally marginalized rights-holders to make, shape and contest the international investment regime.weiterlesen