Brussels, 24/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Doha talks at the WTO are making headway on the trade facilitation chapter. WTO member countries wish, moreover, to reach a series of rules by the summer to facilitate accession by the least developed countries (LDC).
Meeting for informal discussions on the sidelines of the OECD ministerial in Paris on 23 May, trade ministers from some 20 WTO countries continued their attempts at salvaging the Doha round of talks, which have been deadlocked since 2008. They above all reached a high level of consensus with a view to a trade facilitation agreement “before the summer break”, Canada's minister, Craig Emerson, said. Trade facilitation is the abolition of obstacles at borders for goods, including through simplification of customs procedures. Since the ministerial session in December 2011, WTO member nations have continued to look at ways of putting the Doha Round back on track. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said “a more practical approach is: Let's make progress where we can”. He confirmed that an agreement on trade facilitation was the most likely.
Ministers at the meeting also expressed their wish to reach a series of rules by the summer to facilitate membership by the least developed countries, Emerson pointed out, explaining that, as things stand, the LDC are complaining about the fact that the criteria fixed are too demanding and so binding that it makes it difficult, if not impossible, for them to join the WTO. (EH/transl.jl):