Joint letter to the Commission on the place - Keith Taylor MEP

Mr Karel De Gucht and Mr Andris Piebalgs
EU <strong>Commission</strong>ers for Trade and Development
European <strong>Commission</strong>
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat, 200
1049 - Brussels
Dear <strong>Commission</strong>er De Gucht,
Dear <strong>Commission</strong>er Piebalgs,
RE: EU Trade and Development Strategy
Brussels, 14 November 2011
As a group of Members of <strong>the</strong> European Parliament supporting Fair Trade, we are writing <strong>to</strong> enquire whe<strong>the</strong>r
and how <strong>the</strong> upcoming EU Trade and Development Strategy will put in place an enabling policy environment for
Fair Trade.
Fair Trade is an economic development strategy that contributes <strong>to</strong> sustainable development by offering better
trading conditions <strong>to</strong>, and securing <strong>the</strong> rights of, marginalised producers and workers – especially in <strong>the</strong> South.
Since 2002, EU Institutions have, on repeated occasions, called on <strong>the</strong> <strong>Commission</strong> <strong>to</strong> put in place policies
specifically in support of Fair Trade 1 , which goes fur<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> current DG TRADE work on trade-related
sustainability consumer-assurance schemes.
On 13 Oc<strong>to</strong>ber 2011, a Fair Trade breakfast <strong>to</strong>ok place at <strong>the</strong> European Parliament, where we learned from Fair
Trade producers about <strong>the</strong> difficulties that marginalised producers and workers in <strong>the</strong> South face <strong>to</strong> trade under
Fair Trade conditions.
In order <strong>to</strong> discuss <strong>the</strong> above, a small delegation of <strong>the</strong> cross-party European Parliament Fair Trade Working
Group would be pleased <strong>to</strong> meet with you, before <strong>the</strong> <strong>Commission</strong> Communication on <strong>the</strong> EU Trade and
Development Strategy, expected for December 2011.
We thank you in advance.
Yours respectfully,
Linda McAvan MEP, Chairperson of <strong>the</strong> EP Fair Trade Working Group, S&D, UK
Kri<strong>to</strong>n Arsenis MEP, S&D, GR
Ca<strong>the</strong>rine Bearder MEP, ALDE, UK
Malika Benarab-At<strong>to</strong>u MEP, Greens/EFA, FR
Thijs Berman MEP, S&D, NL
Sharon Bowles MEP, ALDE, UK
Frieda Brepoels MEP, Greens/EFA, BE
Michael Cashman MEP, S&D, UK
Sergio Cofferati MEP, S&D, IT
Frederic Daerden MEP, S&D, BE
Anne Delvaux MEP, EPP, BE
Isabelle Durant MEP, Greens/EFA, BE
Bas Eickhout MEP, Greens/EFA, NL
Said El Khadraoui MEP, S&D, BE
Göran Färm MEP, S&D, SE
Karl-Heinz Florenz MEP, EPP, DE
Ca<strong>the</strong>rine Greze MEP, Greens/EFA, FR
1
The latest of which is <strong>the</strong> recently-adopted European Parliament report A New Trade Policy for Europe under <strong>the</strong> Europe 2020
Strategy which “reiterates its earlier call (<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> European <strong>Commission</strong>) <strong>to</strong> ensure coordinated policies in support of Fair Trade”, adopted in
Plenary Session on 27 September 2011.

Fiona Hall MEP, ALDE, UK
Richard Howitt MEP, S&D, UK
Karin Kadenbach MEP, S&D, AT
Tunne Kelam MEP, EPP, EE
Franziska Keller MEP, Greens/EFA, DE
Seán Kelly MEP, EPP, IR
Mojca Kleva MEP, S&D, SL
Jean Lambert MEP, Greens/EFA, UK
Bernd Lange MEP, S&D, DE
Jörg Leichtfried MEP, S&D, AT
Isabella Lövin MEP, Greens/EFA, SE
Sarah Ludford MEP, ALDE, UK
Ulrike Lunacek MEP, Greens/EFA, AT
Arlene McCarthy MEP, S&D, UK
Claude Moraes MEP, S&D, UK
Sirpa Pietikänen MEP, EPP, FI
Pavel Poc MEP, S&D, CZ
Raul Romeva I Rueda MEP, Greens/EFA, ES
Heide Ruehle MEP, Greens/EFA, DE
Judith Sargentini MEP, Greens/EFA, NL
Carl Schlyter MEP, Greens/EFA,SE
Birgit Schnieber-Jastram MEP, EPP, DE
Helmut Scholz MEP, GUE/NGL, DE
Bart Staes MEP, Greens/EFA, BE
Keith Taylor MEP, Greens/EFA, UK
Patrice Tirolien MEP, S&D, FR
Patrizia Toia MEP, S&D, IT
Marita Ulvskog MEP, S&D, SE
Kathleen Van Brempt MEP, S&D, BE
Derek Vaughan MEP, S&D, UK
Bernadette Vergnaud MEP, S&D, FR
Åsa Westlund MEP, S&D, SE
Gabriele Zimmer, MEP, GUE, DE