Brussels, 24/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - Meeting for their annual ministerial meeting in Paris on 23 and 24 May, the 30 countries of the OECD stressed, in their conclusions (our translation throughout) "the importance of opening up the market and the urgent need to conclude the Doha Round as soon as possible". "A happy conclusion of the Round would do much to stimulate economic activity throughout the world, particularly in the developing countries, and would boost the credibility of the multilateral system. Time is short and the deadlines cannot be postponed any further", the conclusions read, adding: "as a result of this, the ministers pledge to seek, in the next weeks, solutions for a well-balanced conclusion of all the dossiers of the negotiations". However, the meeting of the principal negotiators at the WTO, with Director General Pascal Lamy, on the sidelines of the OECD ministerial conference, did not lead to a breakthrough, despite the declaration of intentions by Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. Immediately congratulated by the Australian Trade Minister and leader of the Cairns group, Mark Vaile, Mr Mandelson said that he was inclined to improve the Union's offer on agricultural matters in order to break the deadlock in negotiations "if circumstances permit, by which I mean if, and only if, the main partners also put something valuable on the table". The European negotiator was to make this proposal official as we were going to press. The new offer may include both a greater average reduction of customs duties applied by the Union to imported agricultural products (EUROPE 9197) and a reduction in the number of sensitive products protected by higher customs duties. Absent from Paris, the head of Brazilian diplomacy, Celso Amorim and the Indian Trade Minister, Kamal Nath, the heads of the emerging countries of the G-20, have not yet reacted. Washington, on the other hand, described the new European offer as "insufficient".
In order to mollify the fears of the world of agriculture, the other European negotiator, Commissioner for Agriculture Mariann Fischer Boel, told the presidents of COPA, Rudolf Schwarzböck, and of COGECA, Donald Cashman, that the Commission would not go beyond the red lines set by its negotiating mandate. Speaking via external trade Minister Christine Lagarde, France called upon Mr Mandelson "not to make any new proposal at this stage, unless there is a clear, significant and measurable quid pro quo from the other side".