Ljubljana, 18th March, 2008
The EU needs to clean up its act on trade
Europe is still failing developing countries on trade, a group of activists representing thousands of European and African civil society organisations warned Commissioner Louis Michel today.
Upon his arrival at the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of EU and ACP countries, Mr. Michel was presented with a line up of civil society activists and MPs carrying the message ‘Brussels made EPAs will not fit ACPs.’
One of the main hotly-debated issues on the agenda at the Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana, Slovenia, this week is the Economic Partnership Agreements between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
“I do not agree with you,’ said Mr. Michel in response to the message, ‘if you want to remain poor, just be against the EPAs.”
A clearly agitated Commissioner Michel left the protest area advising the gathering to refer to his recently published brochure on the EPAs for more information.
Out of a total of 78 ACP countries, to date only 15 Caribbean states have initialled full EPAs. A further 20 African and Pacific countries have agreed to partial agreements covering the liberalisation of goods and agricultural products.
“After five years of negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), the European Commission has very little to show for,” says Marc Maes of 11.11.11 and Chair of the Concord ACP Trade Working Group. “Europe has been reinforcing its internal market for 50 years. ACP countries cannot be expected to do this in five years.”
“Less than half of the ACP countries have reached an agreement with the European Union. The EPAs were concluded in haste and under a great deal of pressure from the European Commission. These arrangements need to be thrown out.” added Marc Maes.
These comments were echoed by Mr. Louis Straker, a Member of Parliament from St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean at a Concord meeting to discuss the EPAs held on Monday.
“If we had not signed up to the EPAs, we would have been subjected to much higher tariffs. We had no choice” said Mr. Straker.
Members of the African farmers’ movement also travelled to the Assembly in Slovenia to speak on trade this week. They reminded the Assembly that over two thirds of those who are hungry in the world are farmers.
“EPAs should not threaten our livelihoods, they should protect them. In their current form, the agreements expose us to unfair and harsh competition” said Elisabeth Mpofu representing farmers from ACP countries.
Transparency is a further hot topic. MPs from ACP countries and civil society organisations are outraged at the lack of consultation on EPAs.
“The negotiations on EPAs have to a large extent taken place behind closed doors. We want to see ACP countries in the driving seat on trade. This can only be guaranteed if elected MPs and wider civil society is fully involved in this process.” said Marjan Huc of SLOGA, the Slovenian development NGO Platform.
Notes
• The EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly is taking place in Ljubljana, Slovenia this week in the framework of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU. It brings together 78 Members of the European Parliament and 78 Members of Parliament from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries.
• Civil society organisations participating in the JPA include Concord (the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development); SLOGA (the Slovenian platform for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid); EAFF (Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation) and ESAFF (Eastern Southern African Small-scale Farmers’ Forum).
• The above organisations from ACP countries and the EU are convening in Slovenia this week to engage with parliamentarians from their countries on the future of development and trade.
• On Tuesday March 18th at 9am, these organisations demonstrated against poor trade arrangements upon the arrival of EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel at the Assembly.
• EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) are trade agreements that are being negotiated between the EU and ACP countries since 2002. The aim of EPAs is to further the development of ACP countries. However they are criticised for being overly focused on far-reaching trade liberalisation. Furthermore they do not take into account widespread poverty in ACP countries.
• The deadline for negotiations on EPAs – set for 31 December 2007 - was not met by all regions. Out of 78 ACP countries, only 15 concluded an agreement with the EU.
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Ljubljana, 17th March
News Hook: EU Slovenian Presidency/Opening of EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The EU needs to clean up its act on trade and aid
Europe is still failing developing countries on trade and aid, a coalition of European and African civil society actors warned today.
One of the main issues being debated this week at the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana is trade between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
“After five years of negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), the European Commission has very little to show for,” says Marc Maes of 11.11.11 and Chair of the Concord ACP Trade Working Group. “Europe has been protecting its borders and economy to reinforce its internal market for 50 years. ACP countries cannot be expected to do this in five years.”
“Less than half of the ACP countries have reached an agreement with the European Union. The EPAs were concluded in haste and under a great deal of pressure from the European Commission. These arrangements need to be thrown out.” added Marc Maes.
These comments were echoed by Mr. Louis Straker, a Member of Parliament from St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean.
“If we had not signed up to the EPAs, we would have been subjected to much higher tariffs. We had no choice” said Mr. Straker.
Local farmer organisations from Africa also travelled to the Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Slovenia to speak on trade this week. They reminded the Assembly that over two thirds of those who are hungry in the world are farmers.
“EPAs should not threaten our livelihoods, they should protect them. In their current form, the agreements will expose us to unfair and harsh competition” said Elisabeth Mpofu representing farmers from ACP countries.
Transparency is a further hot topic. The negotiations on EPAs have to a large extent taken place behind closed doors. At the JPA parliamentarians complained that they had not even seen the interim agreements. A similar challenge is being faced by ACP countries in relation to development aid.
European and African civil society organisations present at the JPA in Slovenia are demanding real ownership for ACP countries over how European aid is spent.
“Political sovereignty of ACP countries is at risk of being jeopardised by development aid from Europe. Whilst aid is welcomed, ownership over the way it is spent still is not in the hands of local populations” said Tamim Amijee of the Non-State Actors Support Programme in Tanzania.
This lack of ownership for developing countries means that aid is being diverted to non-priority areas.
“There are more doctors from Sierra Leone in the USA than in our own country. Financing health needs to be a priority for EU funding.” This is not the case currently said Dr. Bernadette Lahai, a Parliamentarian from Sierra Leone.
“All too often we see the European Commission setting the priorities for the aid it delivers. We want to see ACP countries in the driving seat on their development. This can only be guaranteed if elected MPs are meaningfully involved said Marjan Huc of SLOGA, the Slovenian development NGO Platform.
Civil society representatives from EU and ACP countries will demonstrate against poor trade and development arrangements upon the arrival of EU Development Commissioner, Louis Michel at the Assembly at 9am on Tuesday, March 18th.
Notes
• The EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly is taking place in Ljubljana, Slovenia this week in the framework of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU. It brings together 78 Members of the European Parliament and 78 Members of Parliament from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries.
• Civil society organisations participating in the JPA include Concord (the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development); SLOGA (the Slovenian platform for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid); EAFF (Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation) and ESAFF (Eastern Southern African Small-scale Farmers’ Forum).
• The above organisations from ACP countries and the EU are convening in Slovenia this week to engage with parliamentarians from their countries on the future of development and trade.
• EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) are trade agreements that are being negotiated between the EU and ACP countries since 2002. The aim of EPAs is to further the development of ACP countries. However they are criticised for being overly focused on far-reaching trade liberalisation. Furthermore they do not take into account widespread poverty in ACP countries.
• The deadline for negotiations on EPAs – set for 31 December 2007 - was not met by all regions. Out of 78 ACP countries, only 15 concluded an agreement with the EU.
• The EDF (European Development Fund) is an intergovernmental fund worth €23 billion and financed by the contribution of member states of the European Union. It is criticised by civil society organisations from the North and South for its lack of ownership and accountability.
• On Tuesday March 18th at 9am, civil society demonstrations will take place in front of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Hall B of the Gospodarsko Razstavisce Conference Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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