Brussels, 11/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - Meeting on 10 March in Brussels, EU foreign ministers appealed for a more ambitious and balanced multilateral agreement on the whole round - agriculture, industrial products (NAMA) services, rules, trade facilitation and geographical indications. They also increased pressure on emerging countries, which were asked to accept improved access to their markets for NAMA. The EU27, however displayed divergences on what conduct the head of European negotiations, trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, should follow. Headed by Sweden, the free trade countries (Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom) encouraged him to do everything to reach an agreement on modalities, before the US elections. Swedish minister, Ewa Bjorling, called on her group to form a united front against protectionist countries, “we need to have much tighter collaboration among liberal countries…more and more µEU countries getting together among the protectionists”. Headed by Germany, France and Italy have called on Mandelson to not prioritise the rapid conclusion of the agreement and obtained the reaffirmation of control by the Council over the Commission. Although its expresses its support for Mandelson in his investigation on improving the revised compromise texts issued by the WTO at the beginning of February, the Council says that it will hold a special session during a possible ministerial meeting of the” WTO in Geneva. (E.H.)