March 2013
EFTA (the European Fair Trade Association) is an association of 10 Fair Trade importers in nine European countries. It was established in 1987 by some of the oldest and largest Fair Trade Organisations.
The aim of EFTA is to support its member organizations in their work and to encourage them to cooperate and coordinate. We facilitate the exchange of information and networking, create conditions for labour division and develop joint projects. EFTA shares most of its work with the Fair Trade movement and contributes to WFTO and Fairtrade International where it can.
A good example of cooperation is the Fair Trade Advocacy Office. EFTA established an advocacy office in Brussels nearly twenty years ago. This was the basis for what is now the independent FTAO, which is funded by Fairtrade International, WFTO Europe and EFTA. We enjoy cooperation with WFTO Europe on this very important office and highly appreciate the achievements of the FTAO.
A second example of EFTA cooperation is our Information and Assessment System, based on WFTO’s Fair Trade Principles. We maintain a database of all our trading partners, which contains Information Forms and Assessment Reports. This information is also available to WFTO members. We can send you a list of the Information Forms. You can then turn to the partners to ask for the form.
And, last but not least, a third example is our research “Fair Prices, Fair Wages”, which was executed by consultant Peter Williams in close cooperation with WFTO. The report will soon be made available. It is our hope that WFTO and its members will use the outcome of the research to improve a crucial element of Fair Trade: fair wages to artisans, workers and farmers.
We celebrated our 25th anniversary last year (see photograph). On that occasion we signed a statement to the movement which is attached for your information.
For further information see www.eftafairtrade.org or contact the secretariat at efta@antenna.nl.