Brussels, 16/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - With Portuguese Economy Minister Joasuim Pina Moura in the Chair, the European Economy and Trade Ministers will meet on Friday (evening) and Saturday, 17 and 18 March, in Oporto, for informal deliberations on the possibility of embarking upon a new round of negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at an early date. The Fifteen will examine the contribution the Union could make to relaunching the multilateral process -which has been at a virtual standstill since Seattle- and the European strategy in negotiations on services and agriculture getting under way in Geneva. They will review the attitude to be taken towards China and the approach to the final straight of bilateral negotiations on this country's accession to the WTO. And lastly, Euro-American trade, marred more than ever by recurring disputes (bananas, hormones, extraterritorial legislation, aircraft noise, etc.), will doubtless be discussed.
The main objective is to assess the situation in the wake of Seattle and make an interim appraisal of efforts made since then in Geneva and with the developing countries. A strategic alliance with this group is being sought by Commissioner Pascal Lamy, with the aid of certain Member States, and by WTO Director General Mike Moore, to put back into operation the process leading to a new round. Inter-ministerial reflection will also cover the improved working of WTO and institutional transparency, the evolution of third positions and the corresponding margin of flexibility that the Union may give itself. It will also be a question of the relationship between multilateralism and regionalism. Several avenues are to be explored under the impetus of the European Commission which has already spoken of this with the Member States at the level of Council Committee 133 (EUROPE will come back to this tomorrow). The Presidency, which could also present a document as a framework to this vast debate, will undertake to draw the conclusions. The day before this session, it was recalled at the Commission that the "aim is not to have the informal meeting of Porto come to concrete results but rather to assess the positions of everyone to see what we have in common and what divides us". Mr Moore will be one of the guests at a dinner organised by the Presidency, on Friday evening. The working session will be held the next day, in camera.