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Treaty of Lisbon (No. 6)

I hesitate to give the hon. Gentleman a straight answer, because he is a distinguished lawyer, but on the face of it there is much that we support in there. My right hon. Friend the Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) has tabled an amendment that might probe that very matter. The treaty strengthens the EU power over trade policy, which, incidentally, the Government were concerned about during negotiations. Unfortunately, that means that protectionist lobbies in Brussels could well hinder prospects for developing countries' economies. As DFID says:"““The impact of EU on developing countries is a result of all its external policies. Not all of them are coherent with a poverty reduction agenda, most notable the CAP.””" The treaty postulates no significant reform of the common agricultural policy. The Government failed to get real reform when this country held the presidency in 2005. The treaty makes no mention of much needed reforms to the EU's ““Everything but Arms”” scheme. We certainly welcome preferential trade schemes that help the poorest countries, but ““Everything but Arms”” can and must do better. As the respected development economist Paul Collier writes on ““Everything but Arms””:"““The devil is in the details and the details are wrong, probably deliberately””." Over-complex, unclear and restrictive rules of origin are particularly stifling the scheme's effectiveness. A similar scheme, the US's African Growth and Opportunity Act 2000, which has included special waivers on complex rules of origin, has performed much better. AGOA has been able to effect a 50 per cent. increase in African apparel exports, whereas the ““Everything but Arms”” scheme has had little such success. As we have heard, today marks the beginning of Fairtrade fortnight. We on the Conservative Benches strongly support allowing producers in poor countries the chance to set themselves free from the shackles of poverty by ensuring that they are paid a decent wage for their labours. We must also see Fairtrade fortnight as an opportunity to highlight the injustices of EU trade policy. All over the UK, as well as in many other countries, non-governmental organisations, local authorities, trading associations, producers and vast numbers of the public will voice their support for ethical economics.