EU-Africa summit fails on trade

European Commission President Jose Barroso defended the proposed treaties, saying: "They will turn our trading relationship into a healthy, diversified, development-oriented partnership." He added that the formulation of interim trade agreements would help avoid trade disruption and was a good illustration of the spirit of partnership between the two continents. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said compromise was still possible. "If we don't get an agreement, several of the better developed African countries will be in a worse position on trade with the EU," she said, adding: "It won't impact on the poorest countries but rather all those states that have reached a certain level of development." 

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said: "It's clear that Africa rejects the EPA". He added that the EU was losing out to China in Africa because Chinese products are cheaper and Chinese companies "more pragmatic" and better at carrying out business in Africa: "Europe is close to losing the battle of competition in Africa," he said. 

Botswana's Foreign Minister Mopati Merafe said that although he opposes EU demands to include services in the new trade deals, he was concerned about the failure to come to an agreement. "We would be very unhappy if no agreement was reached by 31 December, which would result in the termination of our preferences for beef,'' he said, adding: "We are the biggest exporter of beef to Europe. We have to secure our beef market." 

African Union President Alpha Oumar Konare criticised the handful of interim trade deals signed, highlighting the danger of "playing certain African regions off against each other." 

"Our dearest hope is that the interim accords don't tie down the rest (of the countries) and complicate things afterwards," he said. "If we build our partnership on the weakness of unity in Africa we'll have problems."

"We need to take the necessary time to conclude fair agreements," he insisted, adding: "Speeding up these negotiations will bring no benefits," and a "hasty deal might come at a tremendous cost to the rural African populations and to African industry". 

World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, however, defended the EU's position, saying: "Trade liberalisation in many of these countries could and should be a benefit." 

Aid agencies and development organisations, such as Oxfam, have criticised the EU for attempting to "strong-arm" poor countries into free trade deals "that may be very harmful for their economic development". 

"Many African governments have expressed concern about the content and schedule for these negotiations, as have a range of others, including civil society groups, trade unions and the IMF, and yet the EU is being inflexible and insisting on the deadline. If the wrong sort of deals are agreed many very poor people will lose their jobs, and spending on health and education could fall," Oxfam’s trade spokesperson Amy Barry warned.