Christian Aid has called on Prime Minister Tony Blair to increase opposition to the liberalisation agenda of the European Union, to match the level of criticism from the Prime Minister waged against the Common Agricultural Policy.

|TOP|The charity accused rich countries, including those within the EU, of using the reform of subsidies as a means to force economically vulnerable nations to open their markets, reports Ekklesia.

“Claims about the massive benefits of trade liberalisation give the wrong impression about how much the poorest will benefit,” said Christian Aid’s head of campaigns, Martin Drewry.

“Most of the benefit will go to the richest countries. And within those countries it is often the larger companies that benefit. In most cases, the poorer the country the fewer benefits it will realise,” he said.

Mr Drewry added that poorer countries must have the flexibility to protect vulnerable producers and develop new industries.

The Prime Minister announced earlier in the week that the UK was to treble the amount it made available for trade aid in the next five years, urging the U.S. and the EU to match this amount. He added that in return, developing countries must open up to foreign investment.

Observers fear that the pronouncements made on poverty by the G8 leaders at Gleneagles in July may not amount to concrete deals at the forthcoming World Trade Organisation gathering which starts on 13 December.