Brussels Action

Kathini Maloba of the Kenyan Women’s  Worker’s Organisation calls on European  Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson to  listen to African concerns,  Brussels, 23 September 2008

To mark International Stop EPA Day, European campaigners joined forces outside the Brussels parliament on 23 September to bring the message to MEPs that they need to push the Commission into reopening negotiations on the EPA deals. TV crews from Belgium, France and Romanian media attended as well as AP and Reuters. The protest was also broadcast on CNN International

The European campaigners were joined by Kathini Maloba from the Kenyan Women's Workers Organisation (KWWO). She outlined her concerns about the potential impacts of these trade deals particularly on the women she deals with. Kathini called on the European Commissioner to listen, stating, " Africa needs to be able to develop its own policies in its own time- this is a 'dish' that Africa needs to flavour to our own needs."

Kathini Maloba urges President Sarkozy  as current EU president to listen to calls  for renegotiation, Brussels,  23 September 2008 Photos credit: ©Tineke D'haese/Oxfam

Belgium groups also took the opportunity to hand over 100,000 signatures on a petition calling on MEPs to help stop these unfair trade deals with Alain Hutchinson MEP officially taking receipt. 

Earlier that morning, European campaigners and Kathini Maloba from KOWO met with Socialist and Green MEPs, including Alain Hutchinson (Belgian), David Martin (UK), Caroline Lucas (UK), Arif Kader (France), Bert Staes (Belgium).

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