Brussels, 12/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - The new European Trade Commissioner, Karel De Gucht, who took up his duties on 9 February, made his first visit to the headquarters of the WTO in Geneva on Friday 12 February, where he met the Director General of the organisation, Pascal Lamy, and the ambassadors of the ACP countries. Mr De Gucht reiterated the commitment of the European Union in favour of the multilateral trade system, free trade and the multilateral negotiations of the Doha Round for the liberalisation of global trade, which were launched in Qatar in 2001. "The EU has always been committed to working within a rules-based multilateral trading system, and I will ensure that this remains the case. I will work very closely with our partners in the WTO to ensure that markets remain open and protectionist-free; especially at this time of recovery from the global down-turn. It is very clear that trade is a key factor to help us out of the economic crisis. And one of the best ways to keep protectionism at bay is to conclude the Doha Development Round as soon as possible. In this respect, I will do my utmost to ensure a successful and satisfactory agreement is reached for all parties", said the Commissioner in a press release. At his hearing before the European Parliament on 12 January (EUROPE 10054), Mr De Gucht said that he was confident that the Doha Round would be concluded in 2010 or 2011. (E.H./trans.fl)