Brussels, 19/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Less than three weeks from the Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the EU has set out its criteria for giving a "green light" to the launch of a new trade round, namely respect for basic social standards and environmental protection, including the use of the precautionary principle, along with development, transparency and good government. These are all areas to which Belgium and the European Union attach great importance and want to be placed high on the agenda of the 142 WTO states. This is not yet the case, pointed out (in substance) Annemie Neyts (the Deputy Belgian Foreign Minister who is acting Council President) at a press conference in Brussels on Friday.
Disappointed at the way these highly contentious issues are currently being dealt with in Geneva, the EU has recently been placing great emphasis on the need to clarify how environment legislation meshes with international trade, in order to strengthen the legal base of environment legislation and set up safeguards against any potential protectionist manoeuvring. The draft agenda that is now at the heart of the multilateral preparations does not come anywhere near responding to EU expectations in this area, explained Ms Neyts. While protecting the environment and public health are mentioned in the agenda (in the preamble), no direct reference is made to the precautionary principle (whereby protective measures can be taken reflecting doubts arising from tentative scientific proof). The EU was very isolated at the beginning of the year in its search for legal security, particularly for food safety, but this is now changing although the EU still has to persuade developing countries (particularly the least developed) that it does not have any qualitative, protectionist intentions, and it has to convince them that it wants to consolidate what already exists (rather than innovate), following the precedent set by the WTO ruling in the dispute between the EU and Canada on asbestos, for example. When the time for drawing up the balance sheet comes, "I am not certain they will be persuaded", said Ms Neyts. She said that, personally, she preferred "a small step forward to nothing at all", as, in this matter where the Union is still a precursor, it will no doubt be necessary to move forward "one little step at a time".
Another great disappointment that the Europeans hope to be able to overcome is that the simple reference which is made in the preamble to the social norms is not enough and should be completed by several words on the setting up of a forum for permanent dialogue between the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the other relevant institutions. But this environmental ambition for the next round comes up against the categorical refusal that the vast majority of the EDPs are opposed to any mention of such norms, here too fearing being trapped by disguised neo-protectionism. Ms Neyts specified that it is in the context of efforts deployed recently by the United Nations for coordinating the activities of their different agencies, from Geneva, that they hope to discuss labour norms.
To these difficulties can be added, when the time comes, the various nuances that are beginning to show within the Union on questions such as the effort that is to be made for market access and the regulation of agricultural and textile trade, as the position of the members States becomes clearer with a view to the General Council of 29 October. This body should, moreover, meet on the fringe of the ministerial WTO conference on questions such as the effort to be made for market access and the regulation of textile and agricultural products.
Success is therefore far from guaranteed, said a very cautious Ms Neyt. Things are looking much better than before Seattle, she says, as, for Seattle, the preparations were muddled, the context unfavourable (pre-electoral outbidding in the US) and there were many false notes - mainly the "inadmissible" distancing of most of the delegations who were informed in drip fashion of the outcome of negotiations between the "privileged interlocutor countries", she said. She is therefore slightly more optimistic than at the beginning of the year, she concluded.