Fair Trade movement congratulates first Fair Trade-enthusiast European Commission President
15 July 2014 (Brussels) – The European Parliament has elected today Jean-Claude Juncker as new President of the European Commission. Mr Juncker, a self-declared Fair Trade-enthusiast, is the first Commission President to have endorsed a Fair Trade Manifesto ahead of his appointment. The Fair Trade movement calls on Mr Juncker to add ensure the new College of Commissioners puts in place an enabling policy environment for Fair Trade across EU policies.
Click here and here for higher resolution pictures of Mr Jean-Claude Juncker endorsing the Votefor Fair Trade Manifesto on 9 April 2014.
Following today’s election by the European Parliament of Jean-Claude Juncker as new President of the European Commission, the Fair Trade movement congratulates Mr. Juncker for being the first President of the European Commission to have committted to support Fair Trade ahead of his appointment.
In his earlier position as Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Mr Juncker “enthusiastically” supported Fair Trade, as he told the Fair Trade movement in a video interview on 9 April 2014, ahead of the European elections. On this occasion, he also stated “we have to introduce this dimension, the dimension of Fair Trade into our trade policies and into part of our trade agreements with others in the world. Fair Trade is a real issue”.
Jean-Louis Zeien, President of the Board of Fairtrade Luxembourg stated: “Jean-Claude Juncker has been supporting Fair Trade for twenty years, since the Fairtrade Labelling initiative was set up in Luxembourg in 1992. When he was Prime Minister, his administration was one of the first to purchase Fair Trade coffee. During a Fair Trade breakfast in May 2008, at the Château de Senningerberg with the government of Luxembourg, he made a declaration in favour of integrating Fair Trade in public procurement.”.
Sergi Corbalán, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office, stated “We are thankful for the support that Mr Juncker gave to Fair Trade as Prime Minister of Luxembourg”.
The Fair Trade movement calls on Mr Juncker to put in place an enabling policy environment for Fair Trade across EU policies during his mandate as President of the European Commission..“We call on Mr Juncker to pass on his enthusiasm for Fair Trade to the new team of Commissioners” said Corbalán.
The upcoming European Year for Development in 2015, during which Luxembourg will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, will provide a timely opportunity for the European Commission, and the government of Luxembourg, to put Fair Trade on the EU table.
Mr Juncker at a Fair Trade breakfast organised by Fairtrade Luxembourg on 9 May 2008 in Senningen, Luxembourg. Click here for a higher resolution picture.
A pdf version of this press release can be found here.
Contact:
Sergi Corbalán | Executive Director
Tel: +32 (0) 2 543 19 23 | corbalan@fairtrade-advocacy.org
Fair Trade Advocacy Office
Village Partenaire – bureau 1 | Rue Fernand Bernierstraat, 15 | 1060 – Brussels – Belgium
www.fairtrade-advocacy.org/vote4ft-campaign
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