Posts Tagged acp
Cutting the tariffs?!
Posted by James Gubb in European Union on 10/04/2007
On the very day I chose to slate the EU for inconsistencies between its ‘world leadership’ in distributing aid to developing countries, and policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy and excessive tariffs that quite frankly screw the very same countries over, what does the EU go and do? Propose to: “remove all remaining quota and tariff limitations on access to the EU market for all African, Caribbean and Pacific regions including agricultural goods like beef, dairy, cereals and all fruit and vegetables [from 1 Jan 08]”. If it comes to fruition, this move should be applauded. Such tariffs currently cost the world’s poorest countries dearly, because it mitigates their ability to sell such produce at a cheaper price and, ultimately, make a decent living.
However, we should be guarded in our optimism…
Time to get tough
Posted by James Gubb in European Union, Foreign Affairs on 20/03/2007
Today – in fact at this very moment – the EU-ACP (African-Caribbean-Pacific) Joint Parliamentary Assembly convenes in Brussels for their biannual plenary meeting. Talking shop or not, the Assembly has acquired an increasingly prominent role, particularly given the tensions surrounding the EU’s intention to end its preferential trade arrangements with ACP countries in favour of bilateral Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The blurb on its website states: ‘A substantial part of the work of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly is directed towards promoting human rights and democracy and the common values of humanity….in order to guarantee the right of each people to choose its own development objectives and how to attain them.’ If so, then now, given the situation in Zimbabwe, is the time to prove it.
Trading in hypocrisy
Posted by James Gubb in European Union on 28/11/2006
On Monday 16 October, ministers from the EU’s 25 Member States agreed to provide €2bn a year in aid to developing countries to help them liberalise as per the terms of the ‘Economic Partnership Agreements’ (EPA). Dubbed ‘Aid for Trade’ by the EU Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, the money was supposed to be evidence that the new trade agreements are a development tool to help lift thousands out of poverty. A ‘stepping stone to sustainable development’ in the oracle’s words.
Today, the FT reports the following leaked letter from EU Commission officials Stefano Manservisi (head of the development directorate) and Karl Falkenburg (deputy head of trade) to the Fijian trade minister Kaliopate Tavole:
“In your draft EPA submission, detailed development co-operation provisions form an integral part of the text,” the Commission officials write. “As you know, this is not acceptable to us.”
Correct me if I am wrong, but there seems to be a contradiction here.