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Anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof has said the European Union (EU) must give African nations more time to negotiate fair trade deals.

In an interview with the Reuters news agency, ahead of the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon on December 8th and 9th, the former rock star said the EU should ask the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to extend current preferential arrangements which cover trading between the two regions.

Mr Geldof's comments came after he gave his backing to a new trade plan for Africa, published by campaign group Data – an advocacy organisation dedicated to eradicating extreme poverty in the region.

Data claims Africa is being "rushed" into "potentially unfair" trading agreements with the EU.

The criticism comes amid efforts by EU officials to negotiate new trade agreements with African countries to replace current preferential arrangements which expire at the end of the year.

WTO officials have ruled the preferential arrangements illegal, meaning the EU must now secure new trade deals with former European colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

But critics claim the new economic partnership agreements (EPA) could harm some of the world's poorest countries, stressing their markets will be open to unfair competition from the EU under the new arrangements.

Data says its own African Trade Initiative plan promotes a "fairer" trade deal for Africa, particularly from the EU.

As part of its proposals the organisation wants African countries to be able to set the pace of market liberalisation within their respective nations – rather than allowing EU or US officials to do so.

It also wants the EU and US to open their markets further to African products, calls for the abolition of export and farm subsidies for developed countries – which it says harms African producers – and presses for greater aid for trade commitments that address the export challenges the continent faces.

Backing the plans for reform, Mr Geldof said: "The EU's approach works perhaps from a hard-headed business perspective, but surely this can't be the way to tackle the inequalities in world trade.

"Everyone agrees to trade themselves out of poverty, people must be able to engage with the global economy fairly. Repeated international promises to make trade work for Africa have been lost in haggling, acronyms and inadequate will," he added.