Posts Tagged mandelson
“It wasn’t me sir… It was him!”
Posted by Pete Quentin in European Union on 06/05/2008
Launching the buck on biofuel targets across the Atlantic, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson’s article in the Guardian last week stated “European biofuel production is having only a minimal effect on global prices”. (Roughly translated as: “It wasn’t me sir!”) But he warned “large-scale biofuel production, especially in the US, may be one of the factors pushing up global food prices as it diverts resources from food production.” (Roughly translated as: “It was him!”)
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.