The External Reach of EU Labour Law: Channels of Influence and the Case of Vietnam

This article examines how EU labour-law standards influence labour-related compliance beyond EU territory, despite the predominantly territorial character of public enforcement. It addresses the mismatch between the EU's state-centred enforcement framework and the transnational organisation of production, in which labour risks frequently arise in third-country supply chains. The aim of the article is to conceptualise ``external reach'' and to assess the main channels through which EU labour-related expectations operate outside the Union. Methodologically, the article combines doctrinal analysis with conceptual clarification and applies this framework to the case of Vietnam. It identifies three principal channels of external reach: labour provisions in EU trade agreements, outward-facing EU secondary legislation, and non-state or hybrid governance mechanisms, including contractual clauses, audits, and soft-law standards. The findings show that trade-related mechanisms are relatively effective in encouraging formal legal reform and regulatory dialogue, but have limited direct impact at workplace level. By contrast, market-facing mechanisms, especially due diligence obligations and private governance tools, more directly affect supplier behaviour, although they also risk procedural compliance, cost shifting, and weak accountability.