To:
[Fill in the name and contact details of your Head of government here]
CC to:
His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta
President of the Republic of Kenya
State House, Statehouse Road
P.O Box: 40530 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
www.president.go.ke/pages/contact/
Karel De Gucht
European Commissioner for Trade
BE-1049 Brussels, Belgium
Karel.DE-GUCHT@ec.europa.eu
XX September 2014
EU Import duties on cut flowers from Kenya as a result of the delayed agreement of the EPAnegotiations between the EU and the East African Union – Impact for Fairtrade Producers
Dear XXXX,
I am writing to express concern with regard to the delays in securing a continuation of the zero tariffs
for cut flowers from Kenya. In particular, I wish to alert you to the potentially severe impact on the lives
of 500,000 people dependent on the Kenyan floriculture business, including the 32,000 workers on
Fairtrade certified flower farms.
I understand that representatives of the EU and the EAC have still not reached a successful
conclusion on the terms of the forthcoming EPA. As you will be aware, the current exemption of tax
duty on Kenyan products will expire and an import duty on Kenyan products from 1 October 2014
imposed unless the situation is resolved.
The imposition of full tariffs is an unacceptable price for Fairtrade farmers and workers to bear.
Fairtrade works with more than 30 flower farms in Kenya, who largely supply European retailers.
Together, they employ over 32,000 workers. Through Fairtrade, flower workers and their communities
have seen improved healthcare, income, education, and reduced poverty. If tariffs are imposed
Fairtrade farms risk losing sales, and in worst case going out of business. This will undermine a
decade of work and put the jobs upon which thousands of flower workers and their families depend in
jeopardy.
I call on you, as Head of Government to raise this issue as a matter of urgency at EU level. I ask you
to urge the EU and Kenyan government to find a swift and fair solution which ensures that cut flowers
from Fairtrade farms continue to have tariff-free access to European markets, to protect the
livelihoods of thousands of Kenyan flower workers and their families.
I look forward to your response to this critical matter.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
TransFair e.V. (Fairtrade Germany)
Remigiusstraße 21 | 50937 | Köln
Phone +49 221 94 20 40-0 | Fax +49 221 94 20 40-40
E-Mail info@fairtrade-deutschland.de | www.fairtrade-deutschland.de