EU-ASEAN FTA CAMPAIGN NETWORK

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EU-ASEAN FTA CAMPAIGN NETWORK
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BASIS OF UNITY

• The network unites under the Stop EU-ASEAN
• FTA position. This position is based on the
• general consensus of the network on the
• following assertions.

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FRAMEWORK

• The free trade paradigm which is the underlying
  framework of these negotiations is an
  anti-development paradigm that has failed to
  deliver on its promise to uplift the lives of the
  poor by ensuring the equitable sharing of the
  benefits from increased trade.

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MANDATES

• EU trade policy is anchored on the Global Europe
  Strategy which is an aggressive strategy for
  liberalization of trade in goods and services and
  the opening up of investment regimes. Global
  Europe is a corporate-driven strategy intended to
  open up markets and ensure the competitiveness of
  European corporations at the expense of peoples
  welfare and development.
• ASEANs policy of regional economic integration
  anchored on free trade agreements would aggravate
  the imbalance within ASEAN in favor of rich
  countries like Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia who
  corner the benefits of expanded trade at the
  expense of poorer countries in the region

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MANDATE 2

• That the motivations of both EU and ASEAN are
  clear, this agreement is not about development
  but principally about market access, liberalizing
  investment regimes,and protecting investor rights

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TRANSPARENCY

• The call for transparency and access to
  information based on the principle of the
  peoples' right to know sends out a strong message
  that ordinary people, whose livelihoods and jobs
  will be most threatened under unfair and unjust
  economic agreements, have a stake in these
  negotiations. People who oppose these kinds of
  deals have an equal claim to the right to be
  informed.
• The campaign WILL continue to demand transparency
  and access to information as we have done since
  the launch of the campaign in February 2007. We
  will continue to demand more information not just
  about the text of the agreement, which everyone
  at the assembly thought was important, but other
  information relating to impact studies, and more
  importantly for Philippine based groups, the
  positions being taken by the Philippine
  government with regards to the negotiations

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POTENTIAL LOSSES

• The experience of countries like Mexico with the
  EU-Mexico FTA (which i think closely resembles
  the deal with ASEAN) should give us fair
  warning of the contradictions between the
  promised gains and the very real pains associated
  with this unfair deal.
• Our own experience with the trade negotiations
  including the most recent case of JPEPA
  negotiations also shows the incapacity of the
  government to safeguard national interest in
  these trade negotiations and its historical
  adherence to the neo-liberal framework.
• The principle of parity and maximum frontloading
  that is enshrined in the mandate of the FTA would
  virtually guarantee the EU of the same level of
  market access opening in trade in goods and
  services that was afforded to Japan under JPEPA.
  Our strong position to Junk JPEPA should
  translate to an equally strong position to Junk
  the EU-ASEAN FTA.

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ENGAGEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT

• The STOP/NO call of the network however does not
  mean disengagement from the process. It only
  means that the terms of engagement will be guided
  by the opposition to this unfair deal. Working
  with Congress (or at least progressive elements)
  is important and will form part of the NO/STOP
  campaign as well.
• We will continue to engage both the House and the
  Senate maximizing these venues both as platforms
  for public debate and as mechanisms to push
  legislations that would strengthen laws and
  regulations aimed at safeguarding our national
  interests.

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RESEARCH

• The network will also intensify research work in
  order to strengthen our arguments.  The initial
  phase of the research has alredy given us a sense
  of the agressive and defensive interests of the
  EU. From the various caucuses, a few more areas
  for research have been identified and we will
  make an effort to plug in these gaps even as we
  gear up for the second phase of the research, the
  thematic case studies on possible impacts on
  vulnerable sectors.

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ALTERNATIVES

• We do not oppose just trade, it is the terms of
  trade, the paradigm and framework of so called
  free trade agreements that we are opposing. The
  NO/STOP FTA campaign will carry a strong call for
  alternatives to these kinds of trade and economic
  partnership agreements.

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BROADENING THE NETWORK

• The network would endeavour to reach out as many
  groups as possible in order to broaden the
  campaign support and constituency against the
  EU-ASEAN FTA. It will particularly endeavour to
  reach out to sectors that would most likely be
  hit hardest by an ambitious agreement.

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SOLIDARITY WITH OTHER CAMPAIGNS

• The network will work in solidarity and
• coordinate with other campaigns at the
• national, regional and global levels working to
• oppose unfair trade deals.