'World can't wait for trade talks progress'
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson called today for an ambitious conclusion to the delayed Doha round of trade talks, saying nations “cannot afford to wait”.
But the World Trade Organisation’s 149 members would not succeed in that aim unless negotiations moved away from the sensitive topic of farm trade and embraced liberalisation of industrial goods and services, Mandelson told a meeting of trade ministers in Hong Kong.
“We will not succeed, in Hong Kong or after, if we continue to focus on only one part of the round,” Mandelson said. “We cannot afford to wait again. When the finishing line is in sight, it is the time to quicken our pace.”
The Hong Kong meeting was meant to draw up an outline for a global treaty by the end of 2006 to lower or eliminate trade barriers in agriculture, manufacturing and services.
But negotiations have been bogged down amid accusations from poorer countries that the European Union, the United States, Japan and other wealthy countries are offering insufficient cuts to their agricultural import tariffs and farm subsidies.
“I accept that we will not be able to achieve as much as we wanted in Hong Kong,” Mandelson said. “I regret this, but I am not discouraged. We should not lower our sights.
“We must uphold the vision of a round that delivers a serious boost to the global economy and above all helps developing countries, especially the poorest.”
The EU is in Hong Kong to do business with its trading partners if they are ready and WTO members should still aim to complete the Doha round of negotiations – launched in Qatari capital in 2001 – by the end of next year, even though ambition has been lowered for results of this week’s meeting, Mandelson said.
He stressed that Brussels had already made an ambitious offer on lowering its farm tariffs and subsidies which has not been matched by any other major WTO member.
The EU has been under pressure from the US and major developing countries like Brazil and India to offer deeper cuts in its farm support, but Brussels insists it needs to see concessions from others on other negotiating areas.
“I have been disappointed that others have not seen fit to engage with us on the offer we put forward in October,” Mandelson said.
“A single issue round cannot succeed. We need more to negotiate about. That’s why the success of the round will depend on our ambition to liberalise trade in industrial goods and services, and to strengthen trade rules.”
He also said it was “essential” for WTO members to agree measures to help the world’s poorest countries.
“All developed countries should commit to providing duty and quota-free access to all products from all least-developed countries,” Mandelson said.
“The least developed countries should be exempt from liberalisation if they wish.”
Some 32 WTO members are considered least-developed nations, with a per capita income of about £420.
