Brussels, 07/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - Representatives of the Union and of the African countries belonging to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) met during the last three days in Cape Town, with a view to discussing the "new issues" that are emerging on the agenda for trade talks. These issues include investment, competition, environment and trade facilitation. This regional seminar, organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the South African authorities, is the second of its kind, after that held in Chile addressed to the Latin American countries, last November. A third session in Asia is envisaged.
This new-formula dialogue is one of the initiatives floated by Europeans in the hope of successfully completing the effort of conviction and clarification that they undertook after the failure of the ministerial conference in Seattle, in order to promote the adoption of a global agenda - including these four themes particularly controversial in the Third World - during the next round of talks on the liberalisation of international trade (see EUROPE of 30 November 2000, p.11).