Archived press release

Rally against unfair trade deals

18 April 2007

People in London will join protesters worldwide today, 19 April 2007, in demonstrating against proposed European Union’s trade deals, which would threaten the livelihoods of millions of farmers in the developing world – forcing them to compete directly with multi-national companies. This rally, organised by Friends of the Earth and other Trade Justice Movement members, will take place at 11.30am outside the German Embassy in Belgrave Square, London SW1.

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) would allow European companies greater access to natural resources in 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries which campaigners say will undermine food security and livelihoods. Friends of the Earth is calling for the UK Government to end its support for the deal.

Friends of the Earth’s Director, Tony Juniper, will be speaking at the main rally in London at midday and leading the protest outside the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI). He said:

“The UK Government must demand an end to the EU’s trade deals which are set to expose small-scale farmers and industries in the developing world to direct and unfair competition from European companies which will increase poverty and destroy livelihoods.

“The deals include issues that have already been rejected by developing countries at the WTO, such as new investment rules that would open up and deregulate fishery, forestry, oil and mining sectors on behalf of corporate interests.

“Access to land, forests and fish can provide healthy food and livelihoods for millions of people but these basic rights are being taken away by large companies profiting from trade agreements that weaken developing countries’ environmental regulation.”

The EU will force similar ‘agreements’ on Latin America and Asian countries. This new vision is explicitly about offering European corporations new markets and access to natural resources and energy reserves [1].

The EU claims that these deals are pro-development. However the European Commission’s own impact assessment has highlighted that they could lead to the collapse of West Africa’s manufacturing sector [2]. Millions of farmers are set to be impacted negatively as current proposals will substantially open up all agricultural markets to direct competition from the EU.

Notes

Protests around the world will take place in Africa, the Caribbean, Pacific region, Indonesia and other European countries.

EPAs are being forced on 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, of which 39 are considered as ‘least developed’. The EU is demanding these trade deals are signed by the end of 2007.

[1] European Commission, “Global Europe – Competing in the World”, 4 October 2006
www.s2bnetwork.org/s2bnetwork/download/globaleurope_oct06.pdf?id=146

[2] PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) of the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements,” 1 October 2003, pp 125-127
www.sia-gcc.org/acp/download/summarized_mid-term_report_final_doc_light.pdf (PDF)

For more information on EPAs see the Friends of the Earth’s report, "Corporate Conquest: Why the UK and its EU Partners must stop forcing Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) upon developing countries".
www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/corporate_conquest.pdf (PDF)

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust