Brussels, 07/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Trade Ministers of the Union and its ten future members pointed out in Palermo, where they held an informal meeting on Sunday afternoon, that they are waiting for their partners in the multilateral talks on the Doha Development Agenda to make concessions, after the difficult decisions taken for reform of Common Agricultural Policy. "On agriculture, as is already the case in other fields, we can now move on to the offensive", Commissioner Pascal Lamy was pleased to state during the press conference that closed this meeting essentially devoted to finalising preparations for the next ministerial conference of the World Trade Conference (Cancun, September).
Mr Lamy's spokesperson said there is an enormous convergence of views on the DDA (Doha Development Agenda) between the Fifteen and the ten future members. They are on the same wavelength and have totally signed up to the negotiation mandate as it is, in all its aspects, including the new so-called "Singapore" subjects (Ed.: competition, investment, transparency of public procurement, trade facilitation). The powerful message that participants sent to the rest of the world was that the Union will move onto the offensive on the agricultural front, the aim being above all to submit to multilateral disciplines the internal support in the United States and the systems used by the Cairns members for subsidising their exports (State trade monopolies, etc.).
It will also strengthen the protection of geographic indications. This is all the more a priority because Italy is now at the head of the Union, and the issue of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) is very high on this Presidency's agenda, it is stressed at the Commission. Italian Minister Adolfo Urso added that CAP reform allows the Union to have all its cards in the right order for the agricultural chapter of discussions in Geneva. Europeans also want to intensify the pressure on Washington to break the deadlock on the access to medicines dossier.
The same source states that an appeal is being made to the United States to join the consensus to which 144 countries rallied last December before Cancun. Developing countries must be shown that current negotiations are truly a development round, with elements in their favour, he went on.
Main European NGOs are "deeply disappointed"
- Call for extension of WTO negotiations
The same day, around one hundred European non-governmental organisations called upon the Union to give up its wish to enlarge the scope of negotiations at the World Trade Organisation. The document they presented to Commissioner Lamy and to the Italian Presidency in Palermo is a "European Civil Society Call: Stop the EU's Agenda for WTO Expansion".
The NGOs are thus opposed to opening talks on investment among the other "new subjects" that the Europeans seek to integrate in the DDA. "We are disappointed because the Italian Presidency made no commitment in discussing the review of Commissioner Lamy's mandate. By dong this, the European Union finds itself more and more isolated at the Cancun Ministerial", was the comment by one of the Italian members of this campaign, Antonio Tricarico.
Alexandra Wandel from Friends of the Earth (Europe), for her part, regretted Mr Lamy and the Trade Ministers' rejection of a strong, united appeal from representatives of millions of European citizens. The European project to extend the WTO, she said, has been deeply criticised by environmental defence, development and social justice organisations in Europe. She went on to ask: "In whose interest is this agenda? This is an agenda for big business and the developing world and the environment will have everything to lose".