EU warns against reluctance to sign trade deals

IN THE face of protests against the proposed economic partnership agreements (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and Africa/Caribbean/ Pacific (ACP) states, EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has warned these former European colonies that they could miss out if they do not sign up for the new trade deals before year-end. The UK’s BBC quoted an open letter from Mandelson saying that campaigners were “playing poker” with people’s livelihoods. He added that, unless the arrangements were in place by January, the EU would impose less generous tariffs on key exports from the ACP nations. Analysts believe that only the Caribbean countries are likely to sign a deal by the end of October.