Netop i disse tider med internationalt opererende virksomheder og et globaliseret erhvervsliv bliver politikken nødt til at finde overnationale handlingsniveauer for at sikre, at en harmonisering af de sociale og miljømæssige standarder ikke kommer til at betyde en forringelse, men en forbedring for befolkningerne, f.eks. også ved at Europa indtager fælles holdninger under WTO-forhandlingerne.
It is especially important, at a time when undertakings are operating on an international basis and the economy has become global, to act at supranational level in political terms too, so as to ensure that the harmonisation of social and environmental standards improves rather than worsens the human condition; one instance would be for Europe to adopt common positions at the WTO negotiations.