The EU used strongarm tactics to steer through unfair trade deals with poor countries. Now we are upping the pressure on Europe's leaders to review and improve them.
Find out the UK government's latest response to our ongoing campaign - and keep up the pressure.
Email the international development secretary, Douglas Alexander, now
What's the deal?
Economic partnership agreements (or EPAs as they’re known) are deals struck by the European Commission with 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. They pose a major threat to development.
‘EPAs stand to be devastating for poor countries.’
One estimate put the potential losses to Zambia in signing an EPA at $15.8 million – what the country’s government spends each year on tackling HIV and AIDS.
After interim deals were signed in December, we are calling on the British government to make sure the deals don’t do too much damage. We want the deals to give domestic producers and farmers a chance by:
• Allowing poor countries to protect certain markets from unfair competition
• Giving ACP countries more time to open their markets
We also want to stop the European Commission from extending the scope of these deals to include services such as banking.
Latest update: Government responds to our campaign
Thank you to all the campaigners who have written to Douglas Alexander, urging a renegotiation of EPAs.
The call for renegotiation is now gathering pace with several ACP governments and civil society groups calling for the interim agreements to be reopened.
In the meantime, Gareth Thomas, the development minister, has responded to our campaign. In his letter he acknowledges that concerns have been expressed about EPAs and says that ministers will discuss these with the Commission and ACP governments.
Christian Aid is now in the process of following up on the minister's letter and seeking specific assurances from the UK government that they will press for the time periods and protection for new industries to be written into EPAs.
What you can do
Email international development secretary, Douglas Alexander, now. Call on him to make sure Britain uses its influence in the EU to back poor countries’ calls for the deals to be renegotiated and to stop the inclusion of new areas such as services.
And if you have already sent an email, forward this to your friends and ask them to take action, too - just click Send to a friend at the foot of the page.
Call on UK to back poor over unfair EU trade deals.
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