Kenyan church groups resist "bullying" on free trade pacts

Social justice news
October 3, 2007

Kenyan church groups resist "bullying" on free trade pacts
NAIROBI, October 2, 2007 (CISA ) - Churches and civil society organizations across Africa and Europe are campaigning against the proposed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

On Thursday, they condemned the use of what they called bullying tactics to force African and other developing countries to agree without conditions to the demands of their European counterparts. If agreed the EPAs come into force on Jan. 1.

In Nairobi, the event took place at the Freedom Corner of Uhuru Park. It marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the negotiations.

An informal coalition of Church organizations, human rights activists, international NGO’s, farmers and university students sent an open letter to Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki asking him not to assent to the proposed trade requirements of the European Union.

“Mr. President . . . We do not want an EPA. . . [We] want trade – but [we do] not want a trade agreement that allows European products to flood our markets and leave us unable to trade our products.”

The activists said they do want Europe’s aid, “but not if it is tied to dangerous conditions and irreversible commitments that imprison us.” The petition was also published as an advertisement in Kenya’s daily newspapers.

The coalition condemned European countries for forcing their African counterparts to agree to their demands by threatening to withdraw aid and financial support to countries as well to impose trade tariffs on products coming from ACP countries which will not have signed the agreement.

The letter to the President said: “We condemn the use of such bullying tactics against many of the world’s poorest countries. . . [We] strongly oppose the EU’s demand for reciprocal trade relations between countries of such unequal economic strength.”

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