19-6-02
Barrett seeks free trade on day of Trade Justice Lobby
John Barrett, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West and member of the House of Commons Select Committee for International Development, will today give his full support to the Trade Justice Lobby of Parliament.
During a special reception in Westminster, Mr Barrett will meet those who have travelled down from Scotland and will travel by rickshaw to meet constituents who are queuing outside. He will also be handing over the many postcards he has received, supporting fair rules for world trade, to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy MP and will seek to speak in both trade justice debates in the House of Commons and Westminster Hall.
In a statement, John Barrett said:
"Today's Trade Justice Lobby, one of the biggest ever lobbies of Parliament, is about helping developing countries to help themselves. To some countries, giving access to trade markets would be more beneficial than offering aid. Indeed, giving Africa, East Asia, South Asia and Latin America a chance to increase their share of the world's exports by just 1% would lift 128 million people out of poverty.
"Yet rich countries like the US and those in the EU, whilst preaching the gospel of free trade, continue protectionist trade restrictions which exclude products from poor countries. It is this hypocrisy and these double standards that have brought thousands of people to Parliament and their numbers speak volumes.
"Now is the time for the UK Government to push forward an agenda in the EU for free and fair trade to help tackle global poverty."
ENDS
Read John's speech on Fair Trade made in a House of Commons Debate on World Poverty on Wednesday 19th June.
Notes to Editors:
1. From 10.30-11.am, John Barrett will be at the Liberal Democrat Headquarters (4 Cowley Street, London) to officially hand over the trade justice postcards to Liberal Democrat Federal leader, Charles Kennedy.
2. From 11am - 12.30pm, Mr Barrett will be seeking to speak in the Westminster Hall debate on Trade Justice.
3. From 12.30 - 2.30pm, Mr Barrett will be available to meet constituents and others who are taking part in the lobby.
4. From 3.30pm - 7.00pm, Mr Barrett will be seeking to speak in the House of Commons debate on Trade Justice.
5. The Zanzibar Declaration of July 2001 by poor countries prior to the Doha meeting called on rich countries to abolish subsidies and open up access to their markets. An increase in Africa's share by just 1% would generate approximately $70bn, which is five times what it receives in aid and export tariffs cost developing countries $100bn a year - twice as much as they receive in aid.
6. The EU spends $41 billion a year on agricultural subsidies, flooding the developing world with subsidized agricultural surpluses with which their farmers cannot compete. As part of the current discussion on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms, a timetable needs to be agreed to by EU leaders as to when they will phase out subsidizing their agriculture exports. The CAP needs to be reformed as a matter of urgency.
The EU has also failed to provide access for all exports from the 49 least developed countries. The Everything But Arms Initiative needs to include tariff and quota free rice, sugar and bananas from the least developed countries, so that it really is an Everything But Arms Initiative.
7. The US passed a Farm Bill in May that will increase subsidies to farmers in the US by 70% over the next 10 years. This will no doubt encourage over production and make it even harder for developing countries to compete in the international market and resist competition for US products in their domestic markets.