Trade protesters to march in Dublin

Campaigners demanding fairer trade deals between Africa and Europe will take to the streets of Dublin today.

Campaigners demanding fairer trade deals between Africa and Europe will take to the streets of Dublin today.

Marking a global day of action across 41 countries, charity workers will demonstrate outside the German Embassy in Blackrock to call for new negotiations.

The Trade Matters coalition says current deals struck by the European Union risk locking poor countries, particularly in Africa, into poverty.

The group claims EU leaders are to blame for forcing these contracts on smaller less powerful countries and insists that as Germany holds the presidency of the EU it is in a key position of influence to prevent unfair deals.

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Thousands of people in 40 other countries around the world are expected to join the campaign targeting German embassies across Europe, the Pacific and Caribbean.

Trade Matters is made up of members of Christian Aid, Comhlamh, Friends of the Earth, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Oxfam Ireland and Trócaire.

New Economic Partnership Agreements, replacing old trade deals, are due to come into effect at the end of the year.

Agreed between the EU and 75 former European colonies known as the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group, they will give former colonies access to European markets while giving European firms duty-free access to 90 per cent of the ACP markets.