EU:Irish non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will lobby EU development commissioner Louis Michel today to do more to defend Africa's interests in crucial economic partnership talks with the union.
The delegation of Concern, Trócaire, Amnesty, Dóchas, Christian Aid, Irish Missionary Union, Sightsavers, Worldvision and Fianna Fáil MEPs Brian Crowley and Eoin Ryan, will ask Mr Michel to intervene to stop the European Commission from coercing developing states into signing free trade deals. They will also discuss a new EU-Africa strategy, which will be unveiled at an upcoming summit in Lisbon.
"We believe the EU is pushing trade liberalisation too hard and too fast in these talks with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Partnership is about more than trade - there are social, political and important development issues to balance as well," said Eamonn Casey, policy officer with Dóchas. "Dóchas feels strongly that it's important for Europe to show the goodwill and creativity that will allow agreements that neither disrupt trade nor disadvantage these developing countries." Economic partnership agreements (EPAs) are trade development deals, which the EU wants to sign with a group of developing states, many of which are former colonies of European countries. The proposed schemes would replace an existing preferential trade agreement, which offers these states tariff-free access to the EU marketplace.
This scheme was declared illegal by the World Trade Organisation. The new agreements would offer the developing states continued access to the EU market in return for commitments to open their own markets.
NGOs are concerned that the new deals could undermine developing states by bringing vulnerable industry into competition with global players and result in less money to spend on healthcare and education through the loss of revenue from tariffs.
But the commission argues the deals contain important development initiatives that offer more opportunities for developing nations to grow their economy.
The commission, which set a December 31st deadline for the completion of deals, recently announced they would conclude interim deals with the developing countries since it appears none of the six regional groups will be ready to sign the EPAs by the end of the year. The first of these interim deals was announced late on Friday with the southern African region. Trade commissioner Peter Mandelson, who has been leading the EU negotiations, said the deal was an "historic step forward" in EU-Africa relations. But Oxfam said the detail in the interim deal was lacking and that the commission was trying to ratchet up the pressure on other regions to sign deals before the deadline expires.
"They would unnecessarily open African states to European exports, which could lead to job losses and undermine their ability to manage their own economies in the future," says Colin Roche, of Oxfam Ireland, who is concerned the EU is deliberately coercing developing states into signing the deals before the deadline expires.
NGOs privately complain that Mr Mandelson has taken the lead in the EPAs, often putting trade above development interests, while Mr Michel has taken a back seat in the talks. Today the Irish NGOs will urge Mr Michel to engage more with the process.
The NGOs will also discuss a separate EU-Africa strategy that will be unveiled at a summit in Lisbon on December 8th-9th. Preparations for the summit have been overshadowed by a row over whether Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe should be invited. British prime minister Gordon Brown has vowed not to attend if the African leader, who has ruined his country's economy and violated human rights, attends.
But most EU leaders, including the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, are expected to attend the summit, arguing that one man should not be allowed to block wider EU-African cooperation on a range of issues.
Fianna Fáil MEP Eoin Ryan, who arranged the NGOs' meeting with Mr Michel, said the summit must not be overshadowed by the Mugabe invitation. "This is the first time that EU and African leaders have met for seven years. There are too many important political issues at stake to deal with at this summit other than whether President Mugabe should attend or not," he added.