Brussels, 11/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 11 January, in the presence of representatives from the various negotiating groups at the WTO, the chairman of the committee on agricultural negotiations, Crawford Falconer of New Zealand, took stock of the talks that resumed on 3 January. Since the beginning of the year, Mr Falconer has in fact submitted a new series of working papers on market access. These documents make adjustments to his compromise text on the arrangements for liberalisation of farm trade tabled last July (EUROPE 9471). They also precede the presentation of an overall amended proposal expected in early February. The steady rate set by Crawford Falconer for the farm talks can be explained, among other things, by his double-hatted position since the New Zealand ambassador to the WTO is also to chair the WTO arbitration committee on the Boeing/Airbus dispute.
Sixteen new working documents for agricultural talks. Since November 2007, Mr Falconer has submitted to negotiators no fewer than 16 working papers which reflect upon progress accomplished on the basis of his compromise text. The last eight papers, which he presented on 4 January, focus on elements of the 3rd pillar of the agricultural chapter, market access: - stage-by-stage reduction of agricultural customs duties; sensitive products that may be subject to a lower tariff reduction; tariff peaks which mainly affect processed products; tariff simplification; tariff quotas to be opened for sensitive products; the special safeguard clause that may be invoked at borders; derogations for special (sensitive) products from developing countries; and the terms of commitments to be taken by countries that have recently joined the WTO. At the end of December, Mr Falconer had diffused four working documents on elements of the 2nd pillar of the agricultural chapter, domestic subsidies: - stage-by-stage reductions in subsidies distorting trade; stage-by-stage reduction of overall support, so-called de minimis aid (exempted given their low volume compared to the value of production); and the blue box (aid not related to production). Finally, in November, the WTO mediator for agriculture had presented four documents on elements of the 1st pillar, export competition: - credit, credit and insurance guarantees; commercial state-owned companies; food aid; and elimination of developing countries' export subsidies.
Australia prepares to lay its export monopoly to rest. The new prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, has now, as he promised to do during the election campaign in 2007, launched reform of the state monopoly on cereals exports. This issue is a major cause of friction between the EU and Australia in the context of the Doha talks. In exchange for the abolition of Community export refunds by 2013, the European Commission calls for state companies with export monopolies to put an end to certain forms of food aid and export credits practised by Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Canada. Just a little over one month after the Rudd government took over, the minister for agriculture, Tony Bruke, decided to set up a group of experts to tackle the setting in place of a system to take the place of the current Export Wheat Commission (EWC), which will no longer hold a monopoly position. (E.H.)