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Wednesday, 26 November 2008 07:27 |
The Daily Telegraph (UK) newspaper has an article you absolutely must read from November 25 titled France demands £7bn farm subsidies before talks begin – basically it’s summed up in the first sentence “Restricted documents seen by The Daily Telegraph, show Paris will demand subsidies to French farmers are protected before agreeing to allow global free trade talks to take place next month.” It goes on to say “diplomats say France, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, is using its position to hold the EU to ransom by linking protection for French farmers to the reopening of talks.”
As political moves go, this is very slick leverage by the French and President Sarkozy. Unfortunately, it demonstrates old world thinking at a time when many developing nations (and developed during these hard economic times) need new leadership, solutions and open markets to grow their economies. While APEC leaders recently met in Peru and promoted lowering barriers and strengthening trade, the French leaders were working on plans to shut the door (again) on a great deal of the world.
Included below are more excerpts from the article which points out that those with the most to lose again are the developing nations of Latin American, Asia, and of course Africa.
“British, Dutch and officials from other countries committed to CAP reform are particularly concerned that the French paper insists on retaining Brussels jargon such as "Community preference" and "market stabilisation".
This is wording that will preserve favouritism, price and production subsidies for EU farm products over agriculture imports from the developing world, trade barriers a new WTO deal aims to end.
Alarm bells have also rung over a demand for the EU to guarantee "the wholesomeness of its products for consumers by promoting ambitious health standards both inside and outside the Union".
This move and the language used is widely regarded as spelling a new form of protectionism that will limit imports by demanding that non-European food producers in Latin America, Asia or Africa abide by all the EU's health, environment, workplace and animal rules before food can be exported.”
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