Brussels, 25/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - Although the prospect of organising a WTO ministerial meeting in April to find a compromise on modalities for the liberalisation of trade was outlined over recent weeks, the exact date of this event remains uncertain. A source close to the WTO dossier was interviewed by EUROPE on Tuesday 25 March and affirmed that there were several possibilities in April (the weeks of the 7th or 14th but the first date appears unlikely). The same source confirmed the possibility of a meeting at the beginning of May (as mentioned behind the scenes by representatives from several member states.) This source asserted, however, that the leadership of the WTO was “continuing to organise the meetings process at the level of the ambassadors, who will precede the trade ministers' meeting and the ministerial itself”.
On 17 March, Crawford Falconer announced that there had been a strong boost in the discussions at the WTO agricultural negotiating committee he chairs. Intensive consultations took place over the past two weeks and Mr Falconer may arrange a plenary meeting for the agricultural negotiating committee on 27, 28 or 31 March so that all member states can discuss the results from the bilateral consultations and continue with other major questions in the perspective of a second and final reworking of Falconer's revised draft text on modalities in agriculture. The presentation of this text is expected to coincide with that of the revised document on industrial products (NAMA). WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy, admitted in the middle of March that talks were also blocked on whether to include in the negotiating brief at the ministerial, services, rules, geographical indications and protection of biodiversity.
As we have witnessed over the past few weeks, the European Commission is still committed to concluding a compromise in April or May on modalities in the perspective of obtaining a global agreement by the end of 2008, despite uncertainties about the presidential election in the US. In the meantime, the Commission has sought to provide reassurances. According to a study carried out by its services and presented on 13 March to ambassadors from EU member states at the WTO and then examined by the Agriculture Council on 17 March (EUROPE 9625), the impact of the draft revised text put on the table by Mr Falconer on 8 February (EUROPE 9599-9600), would be more or less the same as that put forward by the Commission in October 2005. Nonetheless, it would mean a sharp rise in imports for some sectors: +51% in 2014 for poultry (compared to the impact of the offer in October 2005), +1% for butter and +42% for cheese. For other products, the effect on imports will be more or less identical to that of the 2005 offer, according to this assessment, which does not include either sugar, fruit or vegetables. Falconer's text will also only have a limited effect on the level of EU exports. There will be a small decline in volume for wheat, and fat-free milk powder and a slight increase for bovine meat, butter and cheese. Several agriculture ministers, including Michel Barnier from France at the head of them, expressed strong reservations during their 17 March meeting about this study. (E.H.)