Act Now

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The text below will be emailed to Irish Minister for
Overseas Development, Peter Power, T.D. on your behalf:

Dear Minister Power,

Congratulations on your appointment as Minister with responsibility for Overseas Development. I look forward to you being a champion for tackling global poverty and injustice.

Your appointment coincides with a critical time in the EU’s relationship with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The EU and ACP countries are negotiating new trade arrangements, known as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). No African country has as yet ratified an EPA. However, under intense pressure from the EU, a number of countries have initialled interim agreements.

Along with many others across Europe and in African countries, I am increasingly alarmed that these EPAs will contradict their intended developmental purpose and will in fact lock ACP countries into poverty. Indeed, these agreements threaten livelihoods, government revenue and the ability of poor countries to manage their economies in the public interest.

In December 2007, then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, T.D. stated at the EU-Africa Summit that ‘poor countries cannot be forced into unfair deals.’ I am deeply concerned that this is exactly what is happening in the negotiations currently being driven forward by the EU. I ask you to urgently follow up on the Taoiseach’s comments by using your influence to demand EU flexibility in relation to:

• Renegotiation of areas and issues within the initialled interim agreements identified as problematic by ACP countries.
• Allowing ACP countries to take the lead in setting the pace and determining the content of any further negotiations, including whether and how crucial areas like services and trade related issues such as investment should be dealt with.

I’m counting on you to ensure that Europe trades fairly with Africa.