NGOs respond to Mandelson’s criticisms of campaign against Economic Partnership Agreements

Sir

Peter Mandelson (‘This is not a poker game’, 31 October) seems to have misconceived opposition to Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) as opposition to the very concept of trade between the EU and poor countries. Fair and equitable trade deals between rich and poor countries are critical for tackling poverty in the long term, but, as evidenced by the refusal of both the Central Africa and West Africa regions to sign deals within the last fortnight, EPAs as they are currently proposed will leave poor countries far worse off.

The Commission must recognise, not least from the widespread opposition it faces, not just from NGOs but also from agricultural producers, academics, trade unions, African industrialists and even the World Bank, that the demands made by EPAs are both unfair and untenable. It must go back to the drawing board and work together with poor countries on a solution that delivers both a strengthened trading relationship, and benefits the millions of poor people whose livelihoods depend on the results of these negotiations.

Placing continued preferential access to European markets at the heart of a demand for deals to be signed by the end of 2007 is tantamount to the EU holding poor countries to ransom. Even a goods-only deal, involving as it does complex negotiations over thousands of products across dozens of countries, could not be completed by the end of the year. Adequate time to negotiate truly pro-development deals must be provided, and there are perfectly legal interim arrangements that the EU could set in motion, instead of unjustly imposing a wide-ranging tariff increase on some of the world’s poorest countries.

Yours sincerely,

Benedict Southworth, Chair of the Trade Justice Movement and Director of the World Development Movement
Sue Branford, Chair, War on Want
Paul Chandler, Chief Executive, Traidcraft
Brendan Barber, General Secretary, Trades Union Congress (TUC)
Matthew Frost, Chief Executive, Tearfund
Sam Bickersteth, Director of campaigns and policy, Oxfam GB
Tony Juniper, Executive Director, Friends of the Earth
Harriet Lamb, Director, Fairtrade Foundation
Daleep Mukarji, Director, Christian Aid
Tony Dykes, Director, Action for Change for Southern Africa (ACTSA)
Claire Melamed, Head of Trade Policy, Action Aid UK

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