Brussels, 30/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 January, the international trade committee of the European Parliament recommended that the EU approve a new international agreement on cocoa, which was concluded in 2010 in the framework of UNCTAD to reinforce cooperation between producer and consumer countries, to step up cooperation with the private and civilian sector and to guarantee greater transparency of the markets, fairer prices and more sustainable production.
In addition to its approval of the new international cocoa agreement, the committee, which is chaired by Vital Moreira (S&D, Portugal), who is also the rapporteur on the dossier, adopted a resolution calling for measures against child labour in the sector. The resolution, which will be put to the vote of the plenary assembly at its March session, acknowledges the fact that producers are under extreme pressure to keep employment costs low, but calls on cocoa producers, EU political leaders and consumers to face their responsibilities as regards fighting child labour. The MEPs recommend the creation of a global framework to ensure fair and sustainable trade. They are also calling on the Commission to look into draft legislation in order effectively to combat cocoa-based products resulting from child labour and to encourage the signatory countries, as well as the EU, to the international agreement concluded in an UNCTAD framework (14 exporter countries, 29 importer countries plus the EU, or 60% of the world's consumption of cocoa and more than 80% of global production) to act to ensure traceability along the length of the supply chain. (EH/transl.fl)