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REFLEXIONS PERISCÒPIQUES

‘Anti EPA Song’ vídeo

Adjunto el vídeo ‘Anti EPA Song’ que ha el.laborat la campanya contra la signatura dels Acords Econòmics de Partenariat UE-Àfrica. En el minut 1’58” apareixem el meu company de grup, l’eurodiputat verd francès, Alain Lipietz, i jo mateix, durant la manifestació que va tenir lloc a Nairobi quan fa dos anys s’hi va celebrar el Fòrum Social Mundial (veure categoria Fòrum Social (mundial, regionals,…) ). En relació a la manera com s’estan negociant aquests acords podeu trobar més informació a apunts anteriors com: FSM-2007: la societat africana desconfia dels Acords d’Associació Econòmica (EPA) UE-ACP; Cimera Euro-africana: si no es parla de temes substancials, com Darfur o els EPAs, de què serveix? ; Sobre els EPA (article de Soledad Gallego-Diaz). Així mateix, adjunto també el contingut de la carta que diversos parlamentaris i parlamentàries vàrem enviar a la presidència portuguesa en preparació de la Cimera euroafricana que va tenir lloc a Lisboa ara fa uns mesos: (segueix…)

LETTER TO THE PORTUGUESE PRESIDENCY ON EPAs

Brussels, 28 August 2007

European Trade Policies: poor people are the priority


Honourable Prime Minister José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa,

The EU Presidency offers you the opportunity to influence the negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs), so that they can actually respond to the overall objective of combating poverty and improving the living conditions of millions of poor people in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament consider that, in order to respect the commitments undertaken by the EU in the field of sustainable development at the beginning of the negotiations on EPAs, the EU must stop pressing ACP countries to sign as soon as possible commercial agreements on which impact there are still many uncertainties and concerns, as has been already emphasised both by the European Parliament[1] and the Joint Parliamentary Assembly.[2]

In concrete terms, we call on the European Commission:

-to take action so that the criteria of compatibility to WTO rules do not prevail on the overall objective of development; therefore encourages the Commission, in accord with the ACP countries, to claim that WTO rules are made more development-oriented;

-not to force ACP countries to open unconditionally their markets to the European competitiveness; in fact, due to the huge difference in terms of economic development and in terms of trade capacities, it could provoke remarkable damages to the sustainability of local economies;

-not to claim reciprocal conditions in terms of access to the commodity market, and not to demand that the agreements include issues and conditions that go beyond what ACP countries have agreed in the framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); calls therefore on the Commission to explore alternatives to EPAs, namely enhanced GSP+, which can ensure both WTO commitments and not leave ACPs worse off as results of negotiations, as for Cotonou commitments. Accordingly, invites the Commission to reply to the letter received by the President of ACP Council of Ministers, which sought guidance regarding possible alternatives trade regimes;

-to guarantee transparent and inclusive evaluations and debates about the text of the negotiations; independent experts, national parliaments, farmers organisations, trade unions, industries representatives and all the interested parties should be involved;

-not to undermine transparency, good governance and accountability in EPAs and the role of national parliaments in ratification process; calls therefore on the Commission not to include clauses into EPAs for immediate entry into force of the agreements, pending ratification by national parliaments;

-to ensure that EU’s Member State will respect their legal commitments in case of failing to sign the EPAs by the end of this year, avoiding to increase entry fees, in any case avoiding to establish worse access conditions for ACP’s exports into the European market;

-to ensure that the UE will allocate new financial resources to support the productivity of ACP’s economies and their inclusion in the world trade market. These new funding should not be conditional to the signature of the EPAs.

We hope that our concerns and remarks will meet your interest and consideration.

Font foto: Oxfam



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