Ghana: Trade coalition condemns ongoing EPA negotiations
Ghanaian Chronicle, Accra
Trade Coalition Condemns Ongoing EPA Negotiations
By Phyllis D. Osabutey
23 April 2007
Barely two weeks after the European Union (EU) proposed to remove all remaining quota and tariff limitations on access to the EU market for all African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions as part of the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations (EPAs), a group calling itself the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC) has raised concerns about the ongoing negotiations that are scheduled to be concluded by December 31, 2007.
The group, which is a coalition of farmer-based organizations, local food crop producers, civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) pointed out that the EPA negotiations pose a threat to economic livelihoods and the economy of the Ghanaian society as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at large.
GTLC made this known at a press conference by the Economic Justice Network of Ghana on what they described as the international civil society day of action against Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) on the theme, "A Partnership for Development not a Free Trade Agreement: Stop The EPAs!" in Accra on Thursday.
The National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Ibrahim Alkalbila noted that the EPA requires that ACP countries open up their services sectors to EU companies on the same terms available for local companies.
According to him, this "will destroy our domestic services sector and undermine our prospects for sustainable development through ways such as retention and re-investment in our economies."
He stressed that the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) impose tariff elimination with a threat to particularly agriculture and industry with severe impact on government tax revenue, saying, "EPAs are bad for goods, that is why we say: Stop the EPAs."
He stated that the EPAs are not development agreements as averred by the EU but free trade agreements that would bring an end to preferential market access treatment for West African export goods and other ACP countries entering EU market.
"West African countries now have to open up their economies to unlimited imports of EU goods into our markets, and face the full competition from highly subsidized goods when the EPAs come into force", he stressed.
Mr. Alkalbila further indicated that the EPA would not serve the interest of the ACP countries but that of the EU, hence the EU’s refusal to grant West African Trade Ministers’ request to postpone the EPA negotiation, which he pointed out has been shrouded in secrecy, misinformation and outright lies for three years, to allow them critically examine the agreement and its impact on ACP countries.
The group expressed fear that West African and other ACP official representatives at all levels of the EPA negotiation would be subjected to bullying, intimidation and manipulation by their European partners into signing the agreement to the detriment of their own people as was often the case.
It is in light of this that the group is calling on government to make its position regarding the EPA negotiation with the EU clear, like countries such as Nigeria and Cape Verde, who have recognized the EPA as presently being negotiated as a bad developmental tool.
"We also call on parliament, as an important institution to demand accountability from the ministry of trade and for that matter government on the current direction of the negotiations", they stated, adding, "Parliament should also facilitate regional integration process as a priority, which should be the basis for any trade agreement with a third party."
In addition, the group is also requesting the German government as the President of the EU to influence the stoppage of the EPA negotiations until the development needs of the ACP countries are taken on board.
The GTLC Coordinator continued that Ghana in particular was already experiencing the brunt of trade liberalization hence signing of such an agreement with the EU would not give local companies the opportunity to develop their capacity to face competition locally and on the international market.
He concluded by saying, "any so-called partnership envisaged by the EPA is one of un-equals: West Africa is one of the poorest regions of the world, 13 of the 16 ECOWAS member-states are least developed countries: the EU with whom we now have to enter full, equal competition with is the world’s single largest trading bloc."
ISODEC is the secretariat of the Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC). For further information, contact: ISODEC, P. O. Box MP 2989, Mamprobi - Accra, Tel: 233-21-306069/310634, Fax: 233-21-311687, Email: isodec@ isodec.org.gh, Web: http://www.isodec.org.gh.
