Brussels, 07/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 10 March - the day after the meeting of trade ministers to be attended by Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, who was due to meet his Indian counterpart Kamal Nath in London on Friday 7 March - foreign ministers will, in the General Affairs/External Relations Council conclusions, once again argue for more balanced Doha negotiations. While there is a possibility of a WTO ministerial meeting, they will, according to the text prepared by their experts, reaffirm “the importance of achieving a comprehensive, ambitious and balanced final outcome within and across all of the areas of the DDA (Doha Development Agenda), in agriculture and on agricultural market access and also including services, rules, trade facilitation and geographical indications”. The ministers also reiterate their commitment to a “successful result”, meeting the main objectives of the EU and the needs and interests of developing countries. To that end, the Council asks WTO partners to “make meaningful contributions to the negotiations, commensurate with their level of development”. Emerging countries are asked to grant additional market access to industrial products. While expressing support for the Commission in seeking further improvements in the revised compromise texts put out at the start of February by WTO mediators on the agriculture and NAMA chapters, Crawford Falconer and Don Stephenson (see EUROPE 9599 and 9600), the Council says that it will convene a meeting on the margins of the possible WTO DDA ministerial negotiations in Geneva.
After Peter Mandelson's warning at the weekend of strong possibilities that the round would fail, the Bush administration in the US this week has shown its willingness. “Concluding an ambitious Doha Round is President Bush's top trade negotiating priority and will generate economic growth through new trade flows in agriculture, industrial goods and services - helping to lift millions of people in developing counties out of poverty,” said the office of US Trade Representative Susan Schwab on 4 March. “(We realise) that a window of opportunity exists to conclude the Doha Round this year and look forward to working with our trading partners to achieve the ambitious and balanced outcome that will be necessary for a successful agreement,” it went on. No matter the tactical reasons behind these statements, technical discussions in Geneva, now well advanced, cannot make further progress. Only a ministerial meeting, which will then allow negotiators in chief to make trade-offs, can break the deadlock. Such a meeting could take place in April, or, failing that, in June or July, said several sources in Geneva this week, where the WTO agricultural negotiations committee will resume discussions on 10 March. “It is almost inconceivable that I will have a revised text” by then, warned Committee chairman Crawford Falconer on 29 February. (E.H.)