Global Europe: The tyranny of “free trade”, the European way

The document analyzes the 'Global Europe' strategy, which shifts the EU from multilateralism toward 'WTO+' bilateral free trade agreements. It argues that this approach focuses on 'competitiveness' and securing raw materials, often at the expense of social and environmental protections in the Global South. The report details negative impacts in Central America, Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia, specifically highlighting threats to food sovereignty, the displacement of peasant communities for agrofuels, and the erosion of domestic policy space through the liberalization of services and government procurement.

• The 'Global Europe' strategy marks a shift toward 'ultra-liberal' trade policy, prioritizing market access for European companies and the securing of cheap raw materials over 'non trade concerns' such as human rights and sustainable development.
• The EU's Raw Materials Initiative seeks to eliminate trade barriers to ensure the supply of minerals and energy, which the report claims undermines the sovereignty of developing nations and may lead to the weakening of environmental regulations.
• In Central America, the EU's push for flexible 'Rules of Origin' for coffee and sugar could allow the EU to import raw materials from third countries, process them, and export them back to the region tariff-free, undermining local producers.
• The promotion of agrofuels, encouraged by EU market access, is driving the conversion of land from food crops to palm oil and sugarcane in Central America, leading to food shortages and land conflicts.
• The EU uses 'interim' Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) in Africa to pressure countries into opening their services, investment, and public procurement markets in exchange for continued access to the European market.
• The EU's focus on 'non-tariff barriers' (NTBs) is viewed as a method to restrict the 'policy space' of developing governments to implement their own development policies by targeting domestic regulations.
• European financial institutions, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), are accused of financing large-scale extractive and infrastructure projects that cause environmental and territorial conflicts in Latin America and Africa.
• The report argues that the 'Global Europe' strategy also threatens the European social model by encouraging a 'race-to-the-bottom' in social and environmental standards to maintain corporate competitiveness.

APA

Valdomir, S., & Poppe, C. (2008). Global Europe: The tyranny of “free trade”, the European way. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoEI-Global-Europe-tiranny-of-free-trade.pdf

Chicago

Valdomir, Sebastian, and Charly Poppe. Global Europe: The tyranny of “free trade”, the European way. Friends of the Earth International, 2008. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoEI-Global-Europe-tiranny-of-free-trade.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Valdomir |first1=Sebastian |last2=Poppe |first2=Charly |title=Global Europe: The tyranny of “free trade”, the European way |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2008 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoEI-Global-Europe-tiranny-of-free-trade.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{valdomir2008global, author = {Valdomir, Sebastian and Poppe, Charly}, title = {{Global Europe: The tyranny of “free trade”, the European way}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FoEI-Global-Europe-tiranny-of-free-trade.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }