friends of the earth international shifts gears in tackling free trade agreements

In Europe, Friends of the Earth collaborated with bi-regional networks and the Europe-wide Seattle to Brussels Network. Together we monitored and put pressure on the European Commission, Parliament and European Union member states with regard to ongoing FTA negotiations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, Central America, the Andean Community, Korea and the EuroMed Free Trade Area.

In Asia, we campaigned against the US-Malaysia FTA and the EU-ASEAN FTA. We did this by working with farmers, lobbying the region’s governments, and participating in various demonstrations and protests.

In Latin America, we ran a strong campaign against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This culminated in a campaign around the popular referendum which allowed Costa Ricans to vote on CAFTA, held in October 2007. It brought about 150,000 people into the streets of the capital, San Jose.

With the referendum result showing in favour of CAFTA by a very narrow margin, FoEI’s battle on FTAs is now continuing in the EU. In the current phase, we are building alliances, particularly with the farmers’ movement. At the same time, we are supporting and developing concrete alternatives to “free” trade along the lines of food sovereignty and solidarity economies.

Resistance to the CAFTA in Costa Rica.

with thanks to our funders: the dutch ministry of foreign affairs