Brussels, 13/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - Enrique Baron Crespo, Chairman of the EP Committee on International Trade, said on Wednesday when speaking to the Finnish minister for foreign trade and development, Paula Lehtomäki, that there was a need for a parliamentary dimension in the Doha multilateral trade talks. He called on the Finnish Presidency of the EU Council to show proof of transparency. “We will do our best to ensure that the Union's goals for an ambitious, realistic and balanced final result of the negotiation is fulfilled”, Ms Lehtomäki said. “It goes without saying that, even if successful, the Doha Round of negotiations by itself offers insufficient means of solving problems of European companies in third countries. There is also the risk that the increase in regional or bilateral trade agreements negotiated by other countries may distort the flow of trade and weaken the competitiveness of EU companies within these markets”, she continued, before adding: “as the negotiations have advanced - and as years have gone by - it has become more and more evident that the challenges posed for the round of negotiations were high, even too high”. “There is a threat that the completion of the Doha Development Round will be postponed by several years if we cannot agree on a negotiation package by the end of 2006”, Ms Lehtomäki warned.