About EPAs

Economic Partnership Agreements are new free trade agreements between the EU and a group of developing
countries in a region. They are to be operative from the end of 2007, but the poorest countries already
have supposed access to EU markets, so there is little gain for them in EPAs.

Under EPAs developing countries must open up their markets even more than is required by the WTO.

This involves:
- fully eliminating import duties and quotas on imports
- progressive liberalisation of services
- opening up of capital markets
- liberalising the three 'new issues' refused by them at the WTO in Cancun.

Shamefully, this is being negotiated under the EU's aid package - the Cotonou Agreement - which is
supposed to be poverty focused.

Comhlámh may be able to provide a speaker for an event you organise in Ireland in relation to EPAs, so let
us know if we can be of assistance. Contact fleachta@comhlamh.org or call 01 4783490 

European Partnership Agreements: Campaign Update

For the past six years the Comhlamh Trade Justice Group has been campaigning against the European Union's unfair trade deals, called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), with 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

In the months leading up to the signing of these agreements at the end of 2007, ACP countries were put under tremendous pressure to sign from the European Commission. The Commission threatened non-LDC countries (Least Developed Countries) to reduce access for their goods into the European market and diminish levels of aid if they did not sign an EPA. This bullish approach has resulted in rushed deals.

The good news: Your actions have made a difference.

Read more of the EPAs update...

16th September 2008 'Europe is Not Bullying the Developing World Over Trade',by Peter Power

9th September 2008 'One Thing is Clear from the History of Trade: Protectionism Makes You Rich' by George Monbiot

Earlier Articles:

Peter Power in September
Action Aid in September
Monbiot in September

A Song About EPAs

Watch our Guyana video at http://www.comhlamh.org/resources-downloads.html

More links about EPA's

Briefing paper on EPA's

EPA's poster: print me!

Links on EPAs:

Click to go to 'Third World Network - Africa' reports on EPAs.

Click to go to www.epa2007.org current international campaign website

Click to go to www.StopEPA.org previous international campaign on EPAs.

Click to go to www.EPAwatch.net monitoring EPA negotiations / other resources on EPAs.

Statement on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) from the World Social Forum

"Memorandum to the European Commission (EC) at World Social Forum 2007
From: 30,000 citizens at the World Social Forum, Nairobi on January 24th 2007

We the people attending the World Social Forum (WSF) are here today to call on the European Commission to stop negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with our governments. We are deeply concerned that these proposed free trade agreements will exacerbate the current agricultural crisis that farmers already face, increase poverty and violate human rights.

We believe that although a partnership with the European Union (EU) is desirable, the basis of this proposed partnership neither ensures the protection of the rights of citizens or the sovereignty of state, nor does it respect the provision set forth in the Cotonou Agreement that no country should be worse off as a result of such a partnership." (Statement continues).

You can read the full text on this statement at http://www.twnafrica.org/news_detail.asp?twnID=965