Stop Europe's new corporate conquest
10 March 2008

The European Union has a new trade agenda.

Frustrated by slow progress in international trade talks at the WTO, it wants poor countries to sign up to new separate unfair trade deals.

The first of these are Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) involving 76 countries in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific region (ACP).

Many EPAs have been partially agreed at the end of 2007.

These new trade deals could:

Damage industries, jobs, livelihoods and the environment
Force open ACP markets to EU goods and services.
Undermine sustainable development and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Cheap EU imports flooding local markets in Africa

Campaigning in the EU and ACP region helped to slow the EPAs negotiations.

But the EU still got countries to sign up to interim deals by bullying them, and now they face pressure to go even further.

And EPAs are just the start.

The EU is starting talks with many more countries in Asia and Latin America, pushing unfair trade deals that will benefit European multinational corporations.

More deals that could harm livelihoods, worsen poverty and destroy the environment in the countries that sign up.

Tell the European Commission to stop Europe's new corporate conquest.

Please write to the Head of the European Commission Representation in the UK and ask him to rethink Europe's new trade strategy.

Email Reijo Kemppinen

Dear Mr Kemppinen,

I am writing to express concern about Europe's new approach to trade agreements and the content of the agreements currently being negotiated with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries have attracted criticism from a wide spectrum of organisations including ACP governments, the European Parliament, civil society groups, academics and think tanks. Agreements made so far pose potentially devastating consequences for industries, jobs, livelihoods and the environment in these countries, and I am concerned that they could undermine sustainable development and worsen poverty. Concern about proposed trade deals with the European Union is also growing within Latin America and Asia. Europe's new trade strategy is based on securing access to markets and resources of poor countries for the benefit of European multinational corporations. I believe a different approach is needed which prioritises justice, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Countries should also have the opportunity to renegotiate bad deals, and be provided with real pro-development alternatives. I would be grateful if you could represent my concerns to European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and also respond with details of how the European Commission plans to address these issues.

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Stop Europe's new corporate conquest10 March 2008

Email Reijo Kemppinen

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Stop Europe's new corporate conquest
10 March 2008