Brussels, 17/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - As we indicated last week (EUROPE 9406), the G4 ministerial meetings (Union, US, Brazil and India) and the G6 (G4, Australia and Japan) aimed at getting the Doha negotiations out of the quagmire on the agricultural chapter, failed to achieve any real turn-around. No new commitment was made by the different parties to “intensify” discussions to conclude the round by the end of the year. In this context, G4 and G6 negotiators agreed to a calendar for new senior official and ministerial level meetings. A new meeting at this latter level has been arranged for mid May but no location for the meeting has so far been worked out.
At the same time, work at the final informal meeting of the committee on agricultural negotiations on 13 April, at the WTO HQ in Geneva, focused on market access for agriculture. The different parties discussed the most recent proposals from the “friends of special products” countries from the G33, led by Indonesia (EUROPE 9391-9392). The work also examined the impact of exemptions for developing countries and improved market access to their agricultural market (special products and special safeguard measures) on South-South trade. The chairman of the agricultural negotiating committee, Crawford Falconer, from New Zealand, indicated on Friday that he would resubmit his new reference document on modalities (figures and other provisions) for agricultural liberalisation during the week of 23 April. (eh)