Comhlamh - Talk to your MEP about Trade Justice

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Remind your MEP about Trade Justice - June 2011

For more info, see below and click here and here

To read the MEP Pledge from 2009 click here

Two years ago, in June 2009, we asked you to take advantage of elections to the European Parliament. Many of you wrote to, spoke to, or even met with your MEP candidates and asked wannabe MEPs to sign a pledge to speak out on trade justice during their term representing you in Brussels.

So. Two years on, it’s time to check back in with our MEPs and see if they kept their promises!

In the past two years a lot has happened. Europe is still in crisis as many countries, including Ireland, struggle with huge debts and have become borrowers from the IMF. Amazingly though, in spite of this ongoing crisis, European trade policy has continued as normal, as if nothing was wrong! The EU is unwilling to admit that the current international economic system doesn't work, and is bad for poor people at home and in developing countries, and for the planet. Unfair trade deals are part of this problem, and Europe’s policies risk impoverishing more people in developing countries.

Get Involved - Act now for Change!

To see a short video on this topic click here

It’s time to remind our MEPs that we still care about trade justice. Even if you didn’t take part in the campaign originally, you can still contact your MEPs now, to encourage them to speak out on trade justice.

Write to or meet your MEPs

If your MEP signed our trade justice pledge then ask them what they’ve been doing since June 2009 to keep their promises?

For example, have they:

Raised trade justice issues in any committees they are members of
Raised trade justice issues with the Trade Commissioner (Karel De Gucht), the President of the European Commission (Jose Manuel Barrosso) or other Commission officials
Voted against trade agreements that would be bad for development, human rights, or environmental concerns in the parliamen
Tabled amendments supporting trade justice to reports and other legislative documents

To read the MEP Pledge from 2009 click here

Even if your MEP didn’t sign the pledge you can still remind them of why this issue is so important, ask them to reconsider, and raise the issue on your behalf in the European Parliament.

What should I ask my MEP to do?

Ask your MEP to be vigilant about the impact of European trade policy on developing countries. The EU continues to push developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to sign free trade agreements they don’t want to sign.

Over the coming months there will be key discussions taking place at European level, on the issues of raw materials and on the link between trade and development. These are moments when your MEP can speak out in support of developing countries right to trade justice. Please ask them to do so on your behalf.

MEPs now have the right to vote against trade agreements in the European Parliament. There are also many other things they can do.

To read the MEP Pledge from 2009 click here

“You’ve voted them in power. Your government is doing this in your name, so as citizens of Europe you have a huge responsibility to ensure that these bad policies do not go through” Meena Raman, Environmental Activist, Malaysia

Any queries? Email us at fleachta@comhlamh.org. If you want to speak to someone in person, please call us on 4783490.

For more info, see below and click here

To see a short video on this topic click here

Campaign Success - 6 of 12 Irish MEPs are committed to Speaking Out on Trade Justice - June 2009

Thanks to all of you who contacted your MEP candidates in advance of the election, and helped to ensure our campaign was so successful. The response from politicians has been extremely positive, with candidates from all parties, and independents, signing on to speak out on trade justice. In total 14 of 44 candidates signed the pledge. Most importantly, 6 of the 12 MEPs who will represent us for the next 5 years in Brussels have committed to help bring about a fairer approach to Europe’s trade with poor countries by calling for a full-scale re-think of the EU's trade policies.

So now the real fun begins, when we encourage them to live up to their word and to make sure that their commitments are turned into practical action over the coming months and years. There are key moments on the horizon, such as the assembly of the new parliament in July and the proposing of new commissioners in Autumn this year. We'll be keeping you up to date about them and hope you'll get involved to make sure our MEPs keep their pledge! And remember it's never too late to persuade those who haven't yet signed to join in.

You weren't doing it alone and across Europe people were putting trade justice for developing countries on the agenda of their MEP candidates. 381 candidates across Europe, including more than 70 MEPs-elect, signed the pledges for a more transparent and democratic Europe working for the interests of people and the environment. You can read more about the EU-wide campaign here.

One way to make sure your MEP keeps their word is to monitor their voting here

And do keep checking back as we'll be keeping this page up to date with the latest news and events.

To read more about the campaign click here

To see a final list of who signed the pledge click here

To read the press release about the campaign click here

Talk to your MEP about Trade Justice - Spring 2009

In June 2009, there will be elections to the European Parliament taking place across all 27 EU member states. This is a key opportunity to put our opposition to Europe’s unfair trade deals on the political agenda and to help bring about a fairer approach to Europe’s trade with poor countries.

The global financial crisis has made lobbying on trade even more important as it has demonstrated to people in rich countries what those in poor countries have known for years: the current international economic system doesn't work. Unfair trade deals are part of the problem, and Europe’s policies risk making things worse.

Already, 14 candidates have signed up to our pledge, including 6 sitting MEPs. We need you to make sure the rest do too!

We need you to take an active part in an EU wide campaign to get constituents talking to their MEP candidates. We need to ensure that our EU representatives work to bring about an EU which puts sustainable development and global justice at the heart of all of its policies, especially where trade policy is concerned.