Brussels, 05/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - The situation at WTO HQ in Geneva is still a matter of concern. This is where the heads of delegations from the 160 member countries were informed on Friday 31 October by the head of the organisation, Roberto Azevedo, that the situation regarding implementation of the Bali package was still blocked.
Azevedo has urged member countries to pursue their discussions on the basis of three possible scenarios as a means of moving forward, which he identified at the end of his consultations that started on 22 October. According to the head of the WTO, the possible ways for finding an exit strategy are: (1) member countries managing to find an agreement between themselves very soon, which Azevedo did not appear to think very likely; (2) member countries continuing to attempt to find a solution; (3) member countries finding alternative approaches to making progress. One scenario that is currently subdividing into a further two possibilities includes member countries attempting to implement the agreement on facilitating trade in the guise of a multilateral agreement outside the auspices of the WTO; the other would involve them seeking to implement an agreement multilaterally within the WTO.
India is at the head of a small coalition of countries that since July has blocked the process for implementing the Bali package. This was put together during the most recent WTO ministerial conference on 3-7 December 2013. India is still establishing a link between implementation of the agreement on trade facilitation and the adoption of permanent exemptions for its agricultural product storage policy for food safety. New Delhi would like a permanent solution for the peace clause, which allows developing countries to take measures for public storage of agricultural products that go beyond the limits set out by the WTO for internal support, without these measures being disputed at the WTO by other member countries. In Bali, the previous Indian government obtained a moratorium on the question until 2017.
The General Council of the WTO on 10-11 December will provide a crucial stage because it will be almost a year to the day after concluding the historic Bali agreement. (EH)