I support Fair Trade
En una imatge.
D’esquerra a dreta: Romeva, Lambert, Sargentini i Keller, MEPs del Grup Verds/ALE al Parlament Europeu, durant l’esmorzar de comerç just que va tenir lloc fa uns dies al Parlament Europeu.
European Parliament hosts a Fair Trade Breakfast
13 October 2011 (Brussels) – In the framework of Fair Trade fortnight in Belgium, the European Parliament hosted a Fair Trade breakfast today in Brussels, with the participation of around 40 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) as well as representatives from the European Commission, EU Member States Permanent Representations, Southern countries Embassy officials, together with Fair Trade movement and Fair Trade producer representatives.
The breakfast was hosted by Linda McAvan, the Chair of the Fair Trade Working Group, a cross-party group of MEPs, working together for EU policies in support of Fair Trade.
The participants enjoyed sampling a range of Fair Trade products while listening to testimonials from Fair Trade producer representatives from Malawi and Tanzania. These representatives explained the obstacles marginalised producers and workers in the South face to trade their way out of poverty, and what Fair Trade has meant for them.
The European Commission (EC) is expected to publish, by the end of 2011, its proposal for a new EU Trade and Development Strategy, a joint initiative by Commissioners De Gucht (Trade) and Piebalgs (Development). The breakfast thus served as an opportunity to discuss what this new EU Trade and Development strategy could do to make trade work also for marginalised producers and workers in the South.
As Sergi Corbalán, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office explained “There is only so much that trade negotiators and government officials can achieve to make trade flows work for development. An increasing number of EU consumers, local authorities, companies and producers in the South are showing leadership, and increasing success, to achieve this. That is why the new EU Trade & Development strategy should put in place an enabling environment to empower these actors to continue and maximize their potential to make trade work for development “