ACTION ALERT

 

European Trade Ministerial, Palermo, 6 July 2003:

Take action against the EU's corporate driven trade agenda

before the WTO's Ministerial in Cancun

 

On 6 July trade ministers of the European Union and the Accession Countries will meet in Palermo, Italy to finalise their corporate driven agenda for the upcoming WTO Ministerial in Cancun. For the first time a EU Trade Council meeting will be open to the 10 accession countries. On 7 July the event will be followed by a Ministerial Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with the participation of representatives from 12 governments from the Middle East and North Africa. In Palermo the EU will aim to use the presence of accession and Southern Mediterranean countries’ ministers as an opportunity to advance and finalise a joint trade agenda and win support for developing a global investment and competition agreement in the WTO.

 

In Cancun the EU aims to expand the WTO agenda and its undemocratic power to match the interest of largest multinational companies in particular as concerns the so-called new issues – investment, competition, transparency in public procurement and trade facilitation. In the EU’s proposals the rights of foreign investors are accorded priority over the promotion of poverty reduction and sustainable development and the rights of governments to regulate and diversify their economies are restricted.

 

Despite much opposition from developing countries and civil society, the Commission as mandated by EU member states is still the driving force for these negotiations in the WTO before the Cancun summit. The EU's attempts to expand the WTO in Cancun completely ignores civil society objections to existing WTO deals such as the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), already a subject of great controversy.

 

The Palermo meeting is a unique opportunity to make this call heard. In order to make a change, we need coordinated action before the European Ministers meet. As part of the pan European Seattle to Brussels Network, a lose network of campaign groups and social movements (see http://www.s2bnetwork.org) we are much stronger than we were before previous WTO Ministerials. Coordination action on WTO issues can be very powerful and can catch Ministers by surprise, as coordinated EU activity on WTO issues, prior to a Ministerial, on this scale has never really been tried before.

 

TAKE ACTION NOW! WHAT YOU CAN DO IN THE RUN UP OF PALERMO:

 

1) PRESSURE ON NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS:

Step up pressure on your national government by

*exposing publicly European governments’ responsibility in launching investment and competition negotiations in the WTO and being a driving force behind the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS);

* urging your government to review the European Commission's mandate;

* asking the Commission and your government 1) to withdraw its investment and competition proposals in the WTO; 2) to halt the GATS negotiations and conduct an economic, social and environmental assessment of the impacts on current and proposed GATS rules; and 3) fundamentally to re-orient the rules of the trade system to promote poverty eradication, equity, sustainability and democracy.

 

2) EUROPEAN STATEMENT: Sign and collect more sign-ons for the European civil society statement against an investment agreement in the WTO until 2 July: This statement with all signatures will be handed over to the Italian presidency on 6 July in Palermo. Launched one year before Cancun in September 2002 and signed in the meantime by over 150 organisations, it will be a campaigning tool for all groups fighting a global investment agreement and posted until Cancun on http://www.s2bnetwork.org

 

3) NATIONAL ACTION DAYS: Engage in national action days: Friday 4 July will be pan European decentralised co-ordinated capital actions in front of trade ministries in as many capitals of the EU and accession countries as possible.

 

National contact points will organise creative national action and media events (e.g. handing over the European statement to the trade ministry, banner dropping with slogans such as 'don’t let big business rule the world'). This will be co-ordinated in the framework of the Seattle to Brussels Network, a European network of campaign groups (see http://www.s2bnetwork.org)

 

In order to support and engage in these days, coordinate activities at national level. The following contact points have already volunteered to undertake actions:

 

* Austria: Attac, Leonhard Plank: leonhard.plank@attac-austria.org

* Belgium: 11.11.11, Marc.Maes@11.be

*Denmark: Attac, Kenneth Harr, Kenneth.Haar@ft.dk

* Finland: Maanystävat, Ville Veiko Hirvela, toimisto@maanystavat.fi

* France: Attac France, Marc Delepouve, Marc.Delepouve@univ-lille1.fr

* Germany, Attac Germany, Pia Eberhardt, pia.eberhardt@weed-online.org

* Hungary: MTVSZ/FoE Hungary, Fidrich Robert, e-mail: fidusz@zpok.hu

* Netherlands: Milieudefensie/FoE Netherlands Anne van Schaik,: anna.vanschaik@milieudefensie.nl

* Italy: Reform the World Bank Campaign, Antonio Tricarico, atricarico@crbm.org

* Spain: Attac Spain: Andreas Ebner, andreas@ebner.com

* UK: WDM, Clare Joy, clare@wdm.org.uk (temporay contact)

 

We are still seeking additional groups and groups from other countries to organise activities. If you can join, please send a message to alexandra.wandel@foeeurope.org

 

4) PALERMO DELEGATION: Send a representative as a national delegate to Palermo for an action, media event and the handing over of the investment statement. Contact: atricarico@crbm.org

 

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

If you would like to find out more information, see the S2B publication: Investment and competition negotiations in the WTO: What is wrong with and what are the alternatives? (available in English, French, Italian and German), see http://www.s2bnetwork.org

 

FROM PALERMO TO CANCUN! DON'T LET BIG BUSINESS RULE THE WORLD!

 

Contact:

Alexandra Wandel at FoEE in Brussels, alexandra.wandel@foeeurope.org

Antonio Tricarico at CRBM in Italy, atricarico@crbm.org