Mandelson 'illegal' trade move
In advice for a new report by the development charity ActionAid a lawyer in Matrix Chambers today warns that European Union trade commissioner Peter Mandelson is violating a legal duty to Africa by undermining alternatives to his trade plans which, critics fear, threaten the jobs of millions of poor people.
This deepens embarrassment for Mr Mandelson after leaked documents in May showed that he is seeking to exploit his close relationship with Tony Blair to persuade him to revise
Now Kate Cook, a government lawyer before moving to Matrix Chambers, says Mr Mandelson’s uncompromising position on EPAs breaches treaty obligations to African,
This latest move will intensify pressure on Mr Mandelson to give 76 ACP nations – many of them among the poorest in the developing world – a choice over EU deals. More than 180 MPs have signed a Commons motion attacking EPAs and the cross-party international development committee expressed concern over the proposals. In addition, criticism has come from Mr Blair’s Commission for Africa, UN secretary-general
And the EPAs controversy is widening as
ActionAid is concerned that Mr Mandelson will bully poor ACP countries into accepting EPAs through fear they will otherwise lose aid and access to European markets. Amid a warning that EPAs would risk the livelihoods of millions of people, the charity today launches a new report examining pro-development alternatives.
The report’s author, ActionAid trade policy officer Tom Sharman, said: “Peter Mandelson is breaking international law by rubbishing alternatives to economic partnership agreements and Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroder are letting him get away with it.
“But it is not too late for the EU to scrap plans to force open African markets and start proper discussions on a trade deal that puts poor people before big business.”
From: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100112/mandelson_illegal_trade_move.html
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