Brussels, 30/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - Having taken part in the opening of the ministerial meeting of the group of developing countries (DCs) of the G90 (see other article), the Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, reported back to the European Parliament about negotiations at the WTO for the last time before the conference in Hong Kong, which opens on 13 December. "It is very too easy constantly to criticise the EU for its reticence on agricultural matters. We have made three major proposals in 18 months, whereas our partners have not budged, he said. "The large agricultural exporting countries are running the risk of losing the advantages offered by the EU (...) by leading the Doha Round to failure by their refusal to offer reciprocity. If they continue simply to demand more from Europe without making any concessions, it is they, not us, who risk destroying the Round, and they will leave empty-handed", he warned, reiterating: above all, the Doha Round is a "development Round, not a Round for the agricultural exporters". "On 28 October, we presented a global offer which contained progress in terms of access to the agricultural market. Our proposals on agriculture will not damage the agricultural sector, will not deteriorate preferential access which we offer to the ACP countries, and will allow the agricultural exporters to gain a foothold on our markets. But rather than seizing this opportunity, our partners have chosen to reject our offer on agriculture, to criticise it even though it goes a very long way", continued Mr Mandelson, who went on to accuse certain countries of wanting to "optimise their competitive advantages on the world market without considering their partners". "Our offer is credible, whereas the offers of the United States and the G20 are all to their own advantage and to the detriment of our farmers and those of the poorest countries, particularly the ACPs", he repeated, stating that he would be making no further agricultural offers. The Commissioner promised that he would fight for an agreement on geographical indications and improved access to the markets for goods and services of WTO members. On services, he explained once again that the EU was not calling for a commitment on the part of the member countries for any deregulation of the markets or privatisation, but that it was committed to an equivalent treatment for national and foreign services alike. Lastly, he pointed out that in Hong Kong, the Union would support the drafting of an ambitious "development package", engaging the developed and emerging countries to provide access to all LDCs without customs duty, to set up more flexible special and differentiated treatment, and to guarantee access to genetic medicines (TRIPS agreement) and a package to facilitate trade for the poorest countries.
"We must give the priority to the question of development. On behalf of the EPP-ED group, I urge you, Mr Mandelson, to be strong!!!", said Georgios Papastamkos of Greece, at the start of the debate. The Belgian Johan Van Hecke (ALDE) voiced his approval of Mr Mandelson's firm stance on agriculture. French Socialist Harlem Désir, for his part, pleaded: "it is very important that we do not force the opening up of certain markets in the developing countries at any price, particularly for sensitive and embryonic industries. We must guarantee the right of the DCs to set their own pace for development. In the field of agriculture, there remains considerable leeway and we are calling for export subsidies to be removed by 2010. For manufactured goods, we are against the "Swiss" formula which you (Mr Mandelson) support". Moving on to services, the DCs cannot be refused the right to regulate their own services, said Mr Désir, who feels that in this field, education, healthcare and audiovisuals should be excluded from the negotiations. He believes, furthermore, that any agreement at the WTO should guarantee that the water and energy sectors will not be dismantled. UK Green Caroline Lucas reiterated calls to "protect the DCs from a large-scale liberalisation in various sectors", particularly services, but also the emerging industries. "We read in the newspapers that you are the voice of the poor, but you are asking them for a forced liberalisation of their markets, which will endanger their fragile economies", said Ms Lucas. The president of the GUE/NGL group, Francis Wurtz of France, also addressed a series of criticisms at the Trade Commissioner. In his view, the Union should, in particular, demand that this round of negotiations find a solution on the issue of access to medicines, negotiate a genuine "development" package, whereas "Everything that was achieved in Lomé has been sacrificed on the altar of the WTO", defend the right to food safety, fight productivism in the field of agriculture, exclude health, education, culture and water from any commercial agreement and demand that binding social and environmental norms be set in place.