[Ip-health] Mandelson urges signing of ACP trade deals

[Michelle Childs]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7015772.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 27 September 2007, 09:38 GMT 10:38 UK

EU urges signing of trade deals

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has warned former European
colonies that they could miss out if they do not sign up to new trade
deals.

The EU is engaged in a round of talks with former colonies across
Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).

Protesters are opposing the proposed Economic Partnership Agreements
(EPA).

However, Mr Mandelson said a failure to sign up meant those who
relied on exports of goods such as bananas and fish faced a risk to
their livelihoods.

Campaigners say that the planned deals would damage some of the
world's poorest countries, opening their markets to unfair
competition from Europe.

They were due to hold protests outside the European Commission on
Thursday.

In an open letter, Mr Mandelson said that campaigners were "playing
poker" with people's livelihoods.

Urging the deals to be signed, he said "we cannot avoid the inevitable".

He said that unless the arrangements were in place by January, the EU
would impose less generous tariffs on key exports from the ACP nations.

Analysts believe that only the Caribbean countries are likely to sign
a deal by the end of October.

They say that unless a compromise is reached, there will be
uncertainty for those in Africa and the Pacific who depend on Europe
for exports.



Michelle Childs
Head of European Affairs
Knowledge Ecology International
michelle.childs@cptech.org