mall scale farmers and workers from the South and activists from all over the world have protested in front of German diplomatic missions in 20 countries – from London, to Dakar, to Naples – against the Economic Partnership Accords (APE/EPA) that the EU has been negotiating with 77 former African, Caribbean and Pacific colonies (ACP countries).
Today was ‘World Action Day against EPA’s’, sponsored by ‘Wake up Action’, to put pressure on politics and public opinion. The symbol of each of the rallies in front of German missions (Germany detains the current EU presidency) was an alarm clock which rang to ‘wake up Europe’ and attract attention on what is happening. The purpose of the EPA – say their proponents – is to create regional areas of free trade among these nations and the EU, with twenty year contracts bound by ‘social clauses’ (human rights and governance) aiming to fuel development and fight poverty.
African farmers and NGO’s from South and North, however, believe that the EPA’s, which were first launched as cooperation accords, have now become overly affected by market libertarian logic and they have become simple mechanisms to open the markets of poor countries to European goods. According to the Europe-Africa campaign, which works with at least four African regional market associations, the recent liberalization of economic policies have reduced, rather than increased, the participation of ACP countries in world trade from 3.4% in 1976 to 1% today.
If the point is to develop the African economy, we offer a different prescription: to create integrated rural programs, to support agriculture and policies of greater integration among African countries.
While today, 60% of exports from ACP countries revolves around just nine products. Moreover, the EPA’s would also allow for an elimination of trade tariffs from ACP countries arriving in the EU, but already today, 97% of such goods coming into Europe from those countries are exempted from duties and by import quotas, even as Africa has gained nothing from this.
“The opening of African markets to European goods risks reducing local production to its knees, as these are overcome by more economic goods, especially where food is concerned” said Julius Moto from the ‘East Africa Farmer Federation’ (EAFF) who was on hand in Rome to protest in front of the German embassy.
“If the point is to develop the African economy – said Moto – we offer a different prescription: to create integrated rural programs, to support agriculture and policies of greater integration among African countries. Regional African integration offer greater advantages than can be had by merely opening markets to European goods. Moreover, he said, if one wants to improve the economy before removing tariffs, roads and transport infrastructure must be built first to improve traffic and reduce costs, such as to make goods more competitive”.
In Berlin, demonstrators handed Chancellor Angela Merkel a list of requests that provides for an extension of deadlines for negotiations for the EPA’s and recommended changes. In Italy, the occasion was also marked by the presentation of the campaign “Africa is Not for Sale” which intends to continue informing the world about the EPA talks.
(From MISNA)