Is the EU playing fair with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries?
Trade between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries could lift people out of poverty, but only if it was governed by fair rules which allowed the growth of farming and industry in these poor countries. Although the EU promised that development would be at the heart of any new trade deal with ACP countries, the new free trade agreements it is currently proposing (known as Economic Partnership Agreements) will not help development or reduce poverty. These EU proposals for free trade agreements with 75 ACP countries – some of the poorest in the world – would not allow these countries to protect their established, new or future industries. Instead, the current proposals would force ACP countries to open up their markets to unfair competition from EU imports. This could keep people poor, cripple developing countries’ fledgling industries, and oblige governments to surrender control of their own economies. ACP countries are not currently being given the freedom and space
