Campaigns about Trade Issues

Within the UK, campaigning on trade is coordinated by the Trade Justice Movement, an umbrella grouping of over 80 organisations -- including not only agencies such as CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, Action Aid, Oxfam and Save the Children but also the Baptist Union, the Church of England and the United Reformed Church.

The Trade Justice Movement operates as a coalition. Individual organisations contribute their expertise in particular areas; the Movement as a whole offers commonly-agreed foci, joint policy documents and briefings, and united campaign actions.

At present, TJM campaigning is focusing on Economic Partnership Agreements [EPAs]. These are trade agreements that the EU is negotiating with the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific [ACP] countries. The ACP countries, largely former colonies, previously enjoyed preferential trading access to the EU. This was challenged at the World Trade Organisation, however, and the EU has argued that any new preferences will have to be in the context of regional free trade agreements.

One difficulty this poses is that free trade agreements require what is called "reciprocity," that is, both sides have to open their markets to each other -- with potentially very serious consequences for ACP agriculture and industry. Other difficulties are emerging as negotiations continue: for example, the EU is pressing the ACP countries to include issues like competition and government procurement policy in the EPAs -- even though they aren't required by WTO rules and were rejected by developing countries in WTO negotiations. To find out more, visit our EPAs page.

To find out about other trade issues members of TJM are working on, click on the links below:

• Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign covers a wide range of trade-related issues, including their current work on regional trade agreements and access to essential medicines.
• CAFOD has been working on mining and the trade in precious metals and on the ways that developing countries can protect special products.
• Action Aid has launched the Who Pays? campaign, which looks at the ways in which supermarkets trade with developing countries.