Business as usual: EU Commission continues free trade negotiations despite massacre in the Amazon of Peru

On 5 June, the government of Peru launched an extremely violent attack on
the indigenous peaceful protests against 10 legislative decrees promoted
by the Peruvian Government in order to comply with the Free trade
Agreement (FTA) with US that threatens their rights and their environment.

Just one week-and-half after, the European Commission, in a business as
usual mode, moved forward with the Round of Negotiations for a Free Trade
Agreement with Peru, Colombia and Ecuador in Bogotá (15-19 June).

As a response to this, a Declaration entitled “STOP the violence against
Peruvian indigenous people! STOP NOW THE FTAs!”# signed by more than 200
civil society organizations and networks from Latin America, Asia, Africa,
Europe and the US was sent on 17th June to Jose Manuel Barroso (President
of the European commission), Catherine Ashton (European Commissioner for
Trade), Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Commissioner for External Relations) and
Rupert Schlegelmilch (EU’s chief negotiator for the Andean nations).

In the Declaration, the signatories demand to the EU Commission to stop
the negotiation for an Association Agreement with Peru and Colombia.

Enrique Daza, Secretary General of Hemispheric Social Alliance based in
Colombia, declared: “If the European Commission signs a Free Trade
Agreement with the governments of Álvaro Uribe and Alan Garcia, the
European Governments will be responsible for the deepening of the human
rights violations that these governments have perpetrated since they came
to power”.

Brid Brennan, Transnational Institute, commented: “the situation in Peru
is a direct consequence of the negative impacts that these Free Trade
Agreements have on people’s civic, social, economic, cultural and
environmental rights. If the trade Agreements between the European Union
and Peru and Colombia are signed, it is foreseeable that further changes
in national laws will be required, prompting similar consequences for
indigenous and farmer communities in Peru and Colombia”.

Further information

Cecilia Olivet, Transnational Institute, The Netherlands (English and Spanish)
Tel: +31 624525265
E-mail: ceciliaolivet@tni.org

Enrique Daza, Hemispheric Social Alliance (Spanish)
Tel: +34 913199220
Email: dazag12@gmail.com

1# See full text of Declaration at