Europe's new unfair trade deals will potentially slow down the progress to make poverty history for the poorest nations.

Many of the poorest countries in the world will face deeper poverty and inequality unless the UK government takes urgent action to stop Europe pushing unfair trade deals on its former colonies, Tearfund reports.

Alongside other members of the Trade Justice Movement, Tearfund is focusing its trade campaign on the dangers of another wave of trade deals called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which is being negotiated between the European Union (EU) and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries. World trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) suspended in July.

Campaigners highlight that Europe's push to have many of the poorest nations sign up to unfair trade deals is putting 750 million people's livelihoods at risk. They will result in the widespread devastation of local industries and farming communities and a massive fall in revenue that developing countries rely on for health care, education and other essential services.

|QUOTE|Last year, the UK Government pledged to do all it can to make poverty history and make trade work for the poor. In response to public action in spring 2005, the UK Government published a new position on EPAs stating that poor countries across Africa and elsewhere should not be forced to open their markets before they are ready, and that alternatives to the partnership agreements be developed.

Tearfund welcomed the UK Government's position, but since then has become increasingly concerned that the UK has not done enough to actively prevent the European Commission from forging ahead with damaging negotiations, including on issues that have been ruled out at the WTO, such as investment and competition policy.

Ben Niblett, Head of Campaigns at Tearfund, said: "Tearfund is concerned about the impact that these deals could have on people like Magdalena, a poor farmer in rural Malawi. Like many of her neighbours she makes a living from growing food and selling it, but if these deals go ahead they could have a devastating effect on her life and undermine progress developing countries are making towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals."

He continued, "The UK Government must now put its words into actions and deliver on its promise to make trade work for development. Having a position that is more progressive than other European countries on EPAs will mean nothing if other countries across Europe are not brought on board to confront the European Commission so it drops its harmful demands in these talks."