European campaigners call on MEPs to use their powers
to reject unfair trade deals with ACP countries

[Brussels, 23 September 2008] Campaigners will gather outside the European Parliament in Brussels from 11am to call on MEPs to use their powers to reject the unfair trade deals called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), currently being negotiated between the European Commission and 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Kathini Maloba of the Kenyan Women's Worker Organisation ¹, said:
"I'm here today to urge MEPs to send a clear message to the European Commission that they will not ratify these unfair trade deals unless ACP concerns are listened to. Kenya could lose up to USD100 million from drops in government revenues - this could have a devastating impact on the everyday lives of the Kenyan people ²".

The European protest comes just two days before world leaders meet in New York to discuss how to meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals by 2015 - goals that Europe risks undermining with unfair trade deals that could hurt sustainable development for years to come. Days later, ACP Heads of State will attend a crucial summit in Accra at which EPAs will likely be a hot topic ³.

Marc Maes of 11 11 11, said: 
"As European campaigners, we believe that MEPs have a real opportunity in their grasp to stand up for the many thousands of people across the world who have opposed these deals - ranging from church groups, farmers, civil society groups, students, trade unionists, academics, think tanks and UN institutions. Isn't it time to make the Commission listen to the many voices of reason -most recently Noble prize-winning Economist, Joseph Stiglitz, who called for EPAs to be renegotiated?⁴" 

Despite the pressure from the EU, over half of the ACP countries refused to initiate a deal by the 'deadline' of December 2007. Many of these countries are now calling for the deals not to be signed and for contentious clauses to be renegotiated ⁵. The Caribbean region has postponed the signing of the deal several times, most recently on 2 September and may now sign in October. 

With negotiations effectively in crisis there are signs that the Commission is preparing a last-ditch assault to drive its deals through. The protest calls on MEPs to use their role in the ratification process to push for renegotiation of the deals and listen to the concerns of ACP countries. 
 

PHOTO OP 
1. The photo opportunity will take place in Luxembourg Square from 11am-1230pm 

2. Campaigning organisations involved in this protest include Oxfam, Christian Aid UK, 11 11 11, The Trade Justice Movement UK, Traidcraft UK on behalf of the epa2007 network. See epa2007.org for more details

This activity takes place during the 50 global days of action against poverty mobilisation of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the world's largest anti-poverty alliance


Notes to Editor:
1 Kathini Maloba of the Kenyan Women's Worker Organization will be present at the Place du Luxembourg protest. The organisation works with marginalised women workers in Kenya. Go to http://www.women-workers.org/ 

MEPs have a role in ratifying the EPA agreements and could potentially stop them from happening if they were to vote against them. A ratification process for each ACP country that signs will also have to take place though the pace and depth of that ratification process does vary 

2 The figure of US$100 million loss sourced from 'Impact of Economic Partnership Agreements on the Kenyan economy, Agayo Ogambi, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce, pg 21
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:q1euCAqgtIkJ:archiv.rural-development.de/uploads/
media/ELR_dt_20-21_02.pdf+epa+impact+kenya&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2 

3 Joseph Stiglitz criticised EPAs in comments on 8 July 2008 during a visit to Ghana
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=146532 

4. 6th ACP Heads of State Meeting, 2-3 October in Accra, Ghana http://www.acpsec.org/en/sg/SG_JPA_SEPT%209TH_html.html  

5. Status of negotiations

The December 2007 deadline had been set by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for a new trading regime between the EU and the ACP countries following the signing of the Cotonou Agreement in 2000.

The EU had promised a new era of "partnership" between itself and the ACP nations. With regard to economic relations, no ACP country was supposed to be left "no worse off" if it chose not to sign an EPA. Instead, ACP countries were not given suitable alternatives to EPAs.

Caribbean: This is the only full region to have initialled a comprehensive EPA (trade in goods and services and trade-related issues). A signing ceremony has been postponed several times. The Guyanese President has been vociferous in his opposition to the deal whilst other Caribbean leaders are anxious at what might happen if they don't sign. On 10 September the Caribbean Heads of State stated they would sign in mid-October. However, the Guyanan Government "is prepared to sign only the 'Trade in Goods',. Haiti has recorded reservations on various provisions for clarification before deciding whether or not to sign a full EPA.

Central Africa: Cameroon is the only country that has initialled an Interim EPA. The remaining seven countries are on other trading arrangements.

East Africa: here has been serious fragmentation of this region with the EU pursuing an agreement with sub-regional groupings. 

Pacific: Last year only two countries ended up initialling an interim EPA, namely Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Negotiations are in deadlock for months now.

Southern Africa: There is serious fragmentation in the Southern Africa region.

West Africa: The ECOWAS region only wants to sign up to a regional EPA on its own terms. However, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana initialled an interim EPA late 2007.