Campaigns: Make Trade Fair
The Greedy Truth
How the EU is trying to enforce unfair trade agreements on the world's poorest countries.
After nearly five years, the supposedly 'development focused' Doha round of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations have been suspended. Stubborn self-interest by the rich countries - in particular, the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) - has led to this failure to make trade fairer.
The WTO negotiations will likely continue in some form, sooner or later. But there is a new threat to creating a world with fair trade rules. Trade negotiations between rich and poor countries are now shifting from global trade talks, at the WTO, to regional and country-to-country trade agreements - often directly between poor countries and rich countries.
Already, the US is trying to force through new trade deals with poor countries that favour its own manufacturing and agricultural and pharmaceutical companies at the expense of poor people in developing countries. At the same time, the EU is negotiating free trade deals with some of the poorest countries in the world, pushing them to accept terms favourable to the EU. These deals are called Economic Partnership Agreements.
Oxfam Ireland wants the EU to change its negotiating position in these deals. At present the EU is seeking to open up the markets of poor ACP (African, Caribbean & Pacific countries), regardless of the impact that this will have on the jobs and economies of the ACP countries. The EU is also looking for new trade rules which have been rejected in the past and which could jeopardise the ability of poor countries to regulate foreign business in the public interest.
Take part in our campaign against EPA by asking your politicians to use their influence to stop these deals going ahead, to listen to the serious concerns of poor countries and work with those countries to develop new deals that will help deliver trade justice.
Act Now 
