23 March 2005

The Trade Justice Movement welcomes the UK Government’s Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) position paper as a step in the right direction for Trade Justice

Following sustained campaigning by member organisations of the Trade Justice Movement and their supporters, the UK Government has taken a stand on Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs).[1]

The Government has recommended that the ‘new issues’ should be withdrawn from the talks and made an important pledge that “each ACP [African, Caribbean and Pacific] regional group should make its own decisions on the timing, pace, sequencing, and product coverage of market opening in line with individual countries' national development plans and poverty reduction strategies”.

The Trade Justice Movement welcomes this as an important move towards a fairer deal.

However, it is now vital that we keep up the pressure. While it is excellent news that one of our main demands has been met, it is not enough for the UK to change its policy alone. Our Government must use every opportunity, including those presented by its unique position this year,to ensure that other European Union (EU) member states adopt similar policies, and that the European Commission drops its aggressive negotiating stance.

In addition, the Trade Justice Movement will continue to push the UK Government on areas where the new policy falls short of our demands and where it is inconsistent with their own pledge to allow ACP development strategies to drive the agenda. We are concerned that the Government is still insisting that the ACP must open their markets within a fixed, arbitrary timeframe, in return for maintaining access to the EU. This ‘reciprocity’ is nota fair basis for negotiations and should be dropped. We will also continue to press the EU to offer ACP countries a genuine choice between an EPA and a pro-development alternative.

Glen Tarman, Trade Justice Movement coordinator, said:  “There is still a long way to go to make EPAs work for development, but our hard work is beginning to bear fruit. Well done to everyone who has taken action to encourage our Government to act, and keep campaigning.”

MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and the Trade Justice Movement are demanding that the UK Government ‘fights to ensure that governments, particularly in poor countries, can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment’.      

The MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY manifesto states that “the EU must drop its demand that former European colonies open their markets”.  The Trade Justice Movement briefing ‘Stop Forced Liberalisation’ expands on the policy theme, including how this relates to Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) (as will as the WTO and the World Bank/IMF).   

[1] see http://www.dti.gov.uk/ewt/epas.pdf

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