Brussels, 05/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - The emphasis placed on “new growth sectors” that barely fall within the scope of the WTO, or not at all - services, investment, public procurement and competition rules - in the Commission's new trade strategy is not to the taste of Oxfam, which sees in Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson's policy “a serious threat to poor countries' development”. Oxfam is unhappy that, in Mr Mandelson's strategy, the “Singapore issues” - investment, public procurement and competition - are back with a vengeance, after being removed from Doha multilateral negotiations at the WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun in 2003, because of pressure from developing and emerging countries. “The EU is pushing an aggressive liberalisation agenda in developing countries and trying to impose rules on competition, investment and government procurement that won't help development,” says Céline Charveriat, Head of Oxfam's Make trade Fair campaign. Ms Charveriat also attacks the stress laid in the Commission strategy on bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), which will, she says, “undermine multilateralism and calls into question the EU's stated commitment to the World Trade Organisation negotiations”. (eh)