Brussels, 11/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - On the occasion of a meeting organised by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) on Wednesday in Brussels, the former Canadian Deputy Minister for International Trade Negotiations and former sherpa of the Canadian Prime Minister for the G7/G8, Sylvia Ostry, urged in favour of WTO reform. Dr Ostry felt it is especially the management of the organisation that should be reformed. The WTO must be more transparent and the national governments must benefit from better access, she said in substance. She also defended the principle of setting in place a political discussion form on basic issues such as the relations between trade and the environment and between trade and development. Speaking of the need to improve the diffusion of knowledge on multilateral trade policy, for which she deplored the secrecy policy often employed, she also recommended the constitution of a research knowledge network in all fields. Finally, she felt that, in the current context, the NGOs representing civil society should be involved in the WTO decision-making process.