Petition from the farmers of Burkina Faso

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA):

Let's change the course!

The EPAs should strengthen the food security of Africa and the agriculture policy of ECOWAS (ECOWAP).

We, the farmers of Burkina Faso, are convinced that agriculture is a profession that should allow us, the people who practice it, to live with dignity from the fruits of our labour. We remain certain that the development of our country is rooted in the guarantee of better living conditions for all and in the spirit of social justice and equity.

We are also convinced that we are capable of producing the bulk of the food which the people of this country needs.

That is why we are ready to commit ourselves to this. To achieve this we only need a healthy national and international environment and some appropriate measures.

That is why at the time (January 2005), we favourably received the signing by the ECOWAS Heads of State (Economic Community of the West African States) of the common agriculture policy for the region, an agricultural policy known as ECOWAP.

This policy, in fact, is based on the two following principals:

· Ensure food security for the West African rural and urban populations and the health standards of products in the framework of an approach guaranteeing food security for the region;

· Reduce dependence on imports by according priority to (local) food production as well as processing these products.

Today we believe that the future of this agricultural policy is seriously threatened by the Economic Partnership Agreements as the European Commission is secretly negotiating them (under cover from European and African parliaments) with the ACP countries (African, Caribbean and Pacific). Above and beyond West Africa it is the very future of Africa and its food security that is in danger.

Indeed, the current negotiations respect neither the spirit nor the letter of the Cotonou Agreements.

The spirit of partnership no longer exists. Europe is imposing its own agenda and timetable. The dimensions of support for development and poverty reduction have been sacrificed to absolute free trade. The EPAs are supposed to support regional integration, but Europe is imposing a hellish rhythm which can only undermine real integration. Finally civil society is neither kept informed nor listened to.

That is why we would strongly like to draw attention to what the Burkina Faso farmers demanded on 3rd December 2005 on the Nation Square in Ouagadougou.

We ask that "our Heads of State do not sign the Economic Partnership Agreements (APE) with the European Union, without a preliminary recognition of "Food Security" and our regional agricultural policy.

To this end, we clearly reiterate the RIGHT of our States to protect our agriculture with a view to making it more competitive. We are convinced that it is the best way to build up our country and regional integration".

We ask the European Union to accept to restart the negotiations in a totally different state of mind: a spirit of partnership which really puts to the fore the good and the development of different regions of ACP countries.

We call on the European Development Commissioner to ensure that European support for African development is not undermined by poor Economic Partnership Agreements, based for the most part, only on free trade in its most radical form.