NGOs urge EU to strike down Colombia trade deal

NGOs urge EU to strike down Colombia trade deal
Wednesday, 16 March 2011 15:44
Tom Heyden

More than 200 non-governmental organizations sign a manifesto calling on the European Union (E.U.) to strike down its free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia, EFE reported Wednesday.

The FTA between the E.U. and Colombia, as well as Peru, was signed on May 19, 2010, and aims to boost bilateral trading between the European bloc and the Andean nations.

The proposed agreement, which still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament, has faced criticism over the state of human rights in Colombia, as well as protests from members of the dairy industry who were concerned about the implications of competing with the heavily-subsidized European market.

These concerns remain at the forefront of the objections to the FTA, with a spokesman for the Social Continental Alliance (ASC) labelling the partnership "asymmetric."

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14947-over-200-ngos-urge-eu-to-reject-fta-with-colombia.html