Brussels, 28/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 28 April, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo told the trade negotiations committee that progress had been made in the discussions process on the post-Bali work programme to conclude the Doha round.
“While it is clear we have still a long way to go, and that some areas are proving very problematic, there is no doubt in my mind that we are making progress. After many years of deadlock, we are genuinely breaking new ground”, he said, stating that “a lot of good work has been done” on the three key sections - agriculture, industrial products and services.
“Sometimes the Chairs are confronted by big gaps between positions, but they have not been discouraged. They continue to push members to engage. They continue to provoke new conversations, and urge members to explore new ideas”, Azevedo stated, underlining the need to call on the capitals for a higher degree of commitment as the discussions approach their end.
Following the Bali mini-agreement concluded in December 2013 and the agreement on implementing the trade facilitation agreement found in December 2014, the 160 WTO member countries are due to set out their work programme by 31 July on the main sections of the Doha round - agriculture, industrial products, services and rules - in order to make a comprehensive political agreement possible at the Nairobi ministerial conference in Kenya in December.
Among the most problematic issues, the agricultural section remains the major stumbling block. During an informal meeting of the agricultural negotiations committee on 24 April, its Chair - New Zealand's ambassador John Adank - sounded the alarm bell, speaking of the “urgent need to move from repeating positions to working for solutions”. Among the thorniest issues, Adank mentioned domestic support, de minimis support treatment, blue box support, market access, and the safeguards issue. The issue of export competition is subject to fewer differences of opinion.
As regards the services section, the majority of the delegations said at an informal council meeting on trade in services on 20 April that they were ready to begin discussions on the post-Bali work programme on the services section. However, some delegations said they wanted to wait to have a clearer idea of the substance of the work programme in the agriculture and industrial products sections.
As regards the rules section, on 14 April the delegations approved the proposal of the chair of the relevant negotiation group - Jamaica's ambassador Wayne McCook - to organise a discussion on 4 May on the place that the members plan to give this section in the post-Bali work programme. The negotiations on rules cover the WTO agreement on anti-dumping, the WTO agreement on subsidies and compensatory measures, the WTO disciplines on fishing subsidies, and the WTO arrangements applying to regional trade agreements. (Emmanuel Hagry)