Action: Say No to Unfair Trade Deals with Africa

EPAs Endanger Africa’s Development

Comhlámh has been campaigning on EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements – Free Trade deals being negotiated between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries) for many years, alongside other trade justice organisations and movements across Ireland, Europe and the world.

The action of campaigners, including you, has made a difference. Ireland is one of the countries in Europe which takes a progressive stand on EPAs, regularly speaking up to raise the concerns of developing countries about these trade deals, and to call for more flexibility. This would not have happened without public pressure from campaigners voicing their concern to policy-makers and their political representatives.

However, the negotiation of EPAs are ongoing, and while continuing to raise concerns about some aspects of EPAs at EU meetings, the Irish government is also currently putting forward 3 of the deals to the Dail for ratification, in spite of the fact that the concerns of the countries involved have not been dealt with by Europe’s trade negotiators.

We need to remind our political representatives that trade justice campaigners haven’t stopped paying attention to EPAs and are still very concerned about them.  The various global crises, including financial, climate, and food, have wrought havoc around the world and poor people locally and globally are suffering the negative impacts of unfettered liberalisation and free trade. Ireland can play a positive role by intervening to prevent the EU from forcing dangerous deals based on a failed economic model upon developing countries.

You can make a difference. Take Action Now! E-action to Minister for Development October 2010.

It is critical that we express our disapproval of these agreements and seek to ensure that poor people’s jobs and livelihoods are protected. Help influence Ireland’s approach to these agreements by taking action now!

For more information on this issue  see here and here

www.epawatch.eu
www.bilaterals.org
www.southcentre.org
http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/get_involved/campaign/stop_epas

You can also write a short note to the Minister of State for Overseas Development (Peter Power TD) outlining your concerns regarding the EPAs, their potentially devastating impact on developing countries, and the ongoing contradiction and incoherence between Europe’s Aid and its Trade policies. Call on him to sustain and develop his progressive position on EPAs, so that Ireland is a country that acts in solidarity with our partners in the Global South.

Minister of State for Overseas Development
Peter Power TD
Irish Aid
Department of Foreign Affairs
Riverstone House,
23 - 27 Henry Street
Limerick
Email: peter.power@dfa.ie
Telephone: 01 408 2000

Take Action for Trade Justice - Comhlámh and Trócaire E-Action - June 2010

Ireland has become a world leader on combating hunger. Our aid programmes are among the best in the world. But we risk undermining our good work. 

The Irish government is trying to push through newly negotiated trading agreements called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with three African regions.

These agreements have a serious impact on the poor people of these countries. Take action now to stop them in their current form.

Trócaire and Comhlámh have been campaigning on unfair trade for many years now, and believe that in their current form EPAs threaten to undermine sustainable development and poverty reduction.

TAKE ACTION NOW and tell the government to say NO to these agreements which are unfair and will have a devastating impact on some of the world’s poorest people.

Please RAISE YOUR VOICE by telling Irish TDs that they should not approve these harmful agreements, which threaten development opportunities for many of the world’s poorest people.  

To READ MORE about this issue please click here

To read the Tanzanian Trade Coalition statement rejecting EPAs see here

Take Action for Trade Justice

To take action on EPAs now, click here 

Yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the East African Community region once again refused to sign an Economic Partnership trade Agreement (EPA) with the European Union.

The Tanzania Trade Coalition had warned East African governments not to sign this unfair trade deal, saying
 
“As civil society organizations committed to development and the eradication of poverty in Tanzania we call on our government and governments of the East African Community (EAC) to refuse to sign the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union. We urge you not sign the Economic Partnership Agreements, because they will continue to condemn the region and its people to poverty. We [...] see no reason to sign a flawed interim agreement with so many outstanding issues.”

Meanwhile, in Dublin, our government is asking the Committee on Foreign Affairs to rubber-stamp this and other controversial EPAs. In spite of concerns raised in Africa and Europe that these deals will result in loss of jobs, livelihood, food security and government revenue, among other negative impacts.

Please take action now in support of the concerns of trade justice activists in Africa. Call on Irish TDs not to ratify these dangerous trade deals.

To learn more about EPAs see here

To read the Tanzanian Trade Coalition statement see here