By Adrian Grima (April 07) on http://www.zmag.org/

In 2010 a free trade area will be established within the so-called Euromed zone that will make matters worse for poorer communities in the Mediterranean region. The renowned academic and activist Tonino Perna anticipates that some four million small farmers with less than three hectares of land and small fishermen will be swamped out of business by big companies with big money.

http://lifestyle.timesofmalta.com/article.php?id=6144

The Times, Weekender, 31st Mar 2007

Coffee may be our cup of tea, but what price do we pay for our coffee break, asks Stanley Borg as he wakes up and smells the caffeine.

By John Axiak

In September 06 Nathalie Grima and I represented Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust at the IFAT (International Fair Trade Associations) Annual General Meeting that took place in Paris. Being a novice in many of the core issues relating to Fair Trade the AGM was the perfect place for me to grasp concepts which ordinary Fair Trade consumers are not aware of. During the sessions I met with representatives from peer organizations and learnt about the advocacy work which they are doing in their respective countries on Fair Trade. I thought about sharing a bit of what has excited me during these three day AGM with x-malta readers and familiarize some Fair Trade jargon to readers.

Stephen Cassar, Sunday Circle

Look at the label of your newest item of clothing. What does the name evoke? Glamour, beauty, fashion. Impossibly thin goddesses parading in astonishing outfits that fit them perfectly like a second skin. On closer examination one might notice , written in small print at the bottom, “made in china”.

The first thought that would creep into mind might be. “That Chinese guy must be filthy rich by now with all the cash I spend on clothes”. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. A Google search and few clicks on the web will reveal the cruel reality. The price paid for that beautiful suite or dress is roughly the month’s wage of the workers who actually sowed it. While company executives enjoy multi million dollar budgets, the third world workers, who made the actual outfit, are left with barely enough cash to cover food, rent and transport to and from the factory.

"I am thrilled to be returning to Malta. I have been once before, very briefly, when I was nine years old. I was travelling back to England from East Africa where my parents lived at the time and the plane we were in came down unexpectedly in Timbuktu (it crash landed with an engine on fire) and the only plane available to take us on to Europe was one that was heading for Malta.

“Jeħtieġ li l-kummerċ kollu jkun ibbażat fuq il-prinċipji tal-kummerċ ġust.”
laila tyabji, dastkar, l-Indja

Hawn Min Irid Jibla’ d-Dinja