Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 10 Apr 1997

Vol. 477 No. 4

Written Answers. - Trade Liberalisation.

Ivor Callely

Question:

96 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the progress, if any, on the establishment of a work programme for the organisation focusing on measures needed to eliminate obstacles to trade between countries; the issues under consideration in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9397/97]

Minister for Tourism and Trade (Mr. E. Kenny)

I am assuming the Deputy is referring to the World Trade Organisation whose remit relates to trade liberalisation and whose inaugural ministerial meeting, held in Singapore in December 1996, approved a work-programme for the organisation covering the period until the next meeting in 1998.

The greater part of the work-programme is dictated by the Uruguay Round Agreements which contains commitments to further detailed negotiations in nearly all sectors covered by these agreements; this is often referred to as the "built-in agenda" of the WTO. In particular, the agreements have provisions calling for future negotiations on Agriculture, Services and elements of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), or reviews and other work on anti-dumping, customs valuation, dispute settlement understanding, import licensing, preshipment inspection, rules of origin, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, safeguards, subsidies and countervailing measures, technical barriers to trade, textiles and clothing, trade policy review mechanism, TRIPS and traded-related investment measures.

In addition to the work-programme flowing directly from the WTO's "built-in agenda", the conference also agreed to establish working-groups on trade and investment, trade and competition policy and transparency in Government procurement practices and directed the WTO's Council for Trade in Goods to undertake exploratory and analytical work on the simplification of trade procedures.

The work-programme established by the conference ensures that that WTO will continue to work towards the elimination of the remaining obstacles to trade between countries. This is of considerable importance to this country because of our heavy dependence on international trade.