Brussels, 19/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 21 June, as part of the EU-United States Summit in Vienna (see related article), the Europeans and Americans are due to launch a Joint Action Strategy on piracy and counterfeiting, with the initial focus on China and Russia. This strategy on the global enforcement of intellectual property rights, decided on by Commissioners Peter Mandelson (Trade) and Günter Verheugen (Industry) and US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez in 2005, will have three pillars: - closer customs cooperation, including joint border enforcement actions; - joint enforcement on the ground in the countries of origin of the counterfeit goods, including the creation of teams of EU and US diplomats in third country embassies specially tasked with data and intelligence sharing and joint surveillance responsibilities; strongly increased collaboration with the private sector which has suffered from piracy and counterfeiting. Initial efforts will concentrate on China and Russia, as well as on other countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, with the EU-US strategy seeking to help emerging countries increase their efforts to tackle the theft of intellectual property.
Doha Round negotiations are also on the agenda for the Summit. Mr Mandelson intends to use the meeting to persuade Washington to be more flexible both in its demands and in its offer to the WTO (see related article), so as not to miss the end of June deadline for a compromise on the arrangements in agriculture and manufactured goods (NAMAs). “I have consistently welcomed President Bush's commitment to an ambitious Doha Round,” he told press on Friday, speaking about the comments of the American President who, believing the talks to be a “turning point”, said the United States was “ready to take hard decisions in agriculture” with Europeans and the G20 group of emerging nations. Mr Mandelson said that the problem with the American position was that they were offering to pay too little for what they expected in return and that that had to change for there to be any chance of breaking the deadlock. He added that it was up to Washington to take the first step. Before offering new flexibility in its agricultural offer (see EUROPE 9212), the EU still expects more substantial concessions from the Americans on internal subsidies for agricultural and export competition (removal of export credits and food aid, merely disguised forms of support for exports). The G20 is due to present a realistic offer on the reduction of tariffs on NAMAs, said Mr Mandelson. But, he went on, that time will only be reached when the EU and the US have made appropriate offers in agriculture.
Finally, the European and Americans are also due to take stock of the Transatlantic Economic Initiative, which, since its launch last November, has been working on the removal of non tariff barriers to trade and on promoting regulatory and standards cooperation.