Fourth Assises of Decentralised Cooperation for Development
European Committee of the Regions - Brussels, 1-2 June 2015
Associated Seminar B
Fair Trade support through decentralised cooperation
According to the Charter of Fair Trade Principles1, "Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on
dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to
sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of,
marginalized producers and workers – especially in developing countries. Fair Trade Organizations,
backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in
campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade."
Despite the rapid growth of Fair Trade certified products and their retail in the last decades, especially
since 2000, the total share of Fair Trade remains marginal in overall trade figures. While OECD
countries, mainly EU but also Australia, the USA, Hong Kong, Japan and Switzerland represent
important markets, in recent years also smaller Fair Trade markets in developing or emerging
countries such as India, Kenya and South Africa have become significant, showing a move away from
the traditional "North-South" model and a greater attention to Fair Trade worldwide.
The European Union is the most important world region for fair trade products, with the UK,
Germany and France representing the largest markets2.
Local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the EU have engaged with Fair Trade through various
means. One classic way has been to support organisations working on Fair Trade and trade justice. In
the last 15 years, this support has become more concrete, with more than 1 500 communities in
Europe now having joined the Fair Trade Towns campaign and actively promoting Fair Trade in their
territories by raising awareness among citizens and local business. Another and more direct
contribution to Fair Trade has been made through LRAs' own consumption. For instance many LRAs
have taken into account Fair Trade criteria in their procurement policies and practices. Another way to
contribute to fair trade locally and regionally is by encouraging their local and regional companies to
source under fair conditions, which in turn also contributes to more sustainable local economic
activity in Europe.
1
2
http://fairtrade-advocacy.org/about-fair-trade/what-is-fair-trade/charter-of-fair-trade-principles.
European Parliamentary Research Service “Fair trade and consumers in the European Union”, 25/3/2014.
EN
European LRAs can not only act on the demand side, they can also create a Fair Trade supply in their
partner countries. In some cases, direct support for Fair Trade has been connected to existing
partnerships between local and regional authorities in Europe and developing countries. However, a
lot remains to be done to better link cooperation and Fair Trade. Therefore, this session will showcase
how the fair trade dimension can be better integrated in decentralised cooperation between the EU and
developing countries. Decentralised cooperation dealing with fair trade can notably empower
economic actors in developing countries and foster the creation of a competitive and inclusive local
productive sector, thereby contributing to local economy.
The current European Year for Development 2015 offers a great opportunity to get the EU as a whole
engaged in a strong support for Fair Trade and increase policy cohesion. The European Committee of
the Regions' work aims at highlighting the various ways in which LRAs can contribute to the
promotion of Fair Trade. The CoR is discussing an opinion, has commissioned a study on Fair Trade
policy, and aggregated initiatives and various examples of practices illustrating the engagement of EU
LRA for Fair Trade. This associated seminar aims to contribute to exploring links between Fair Trade
and development cooperation, notably decentralised cooperation, and synergies that can be created
with other initiatives on the topic of Fair Trade.
The session will present examples of how local and regional authorities in the EU have introduced a
Fair Trade dimension into their partnerships for development cooperation. In particular, the following
questions will be discussed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What drives and what hampers the support of Fair Trade within existing partnerships between
EU and developing countries?
How to support and build closer links between LRAs in the EU, and LRAs, CSOs and producer
networks in developing countries.
How can the demand, but also the supply chain of the whole production process for fairly
traded products, be fostered? Which means can LRAs mobilise, what role can they play?
How could the EU better support LRAs in the EU and in developing countries in promoting
Fair Trade and fair globalization?