The recent failure to reach agreement on a framework for the continuation of negotiations under the Doha development agenda at the Cancun WTO ministerial conference is very regrettable and was a serious setback for the DDA. The major losers from the failure to agree at Cancun are developing and least developed countries because the DDA is designed to address their needs and to help them to integrate into the world economy.
Trade matters are a European Union competence where the EU Commission negotiates on behalf of the EU member states on the basis of proposals from the Commission, which are agreed by EU Ministers. There was substantial technical preparation and negotiation on all of the issues across the full Doha development agenda in the lead up to Cancun. Ireland engaged extensively in the preparation of EU submissions to the WTO under each of the headings and in the development of the EU negotiating mandates across the full spectrum of issues under the Doha agenda.
The Cancun conference did not fail for lack of effort on the part of the European Union. The EU was among the most persistent advocates for a successful conference and negotiated in good faith at Cancun. For its part, the EU, among all WTO partners, provided significant inputs to the WTO in Geneva in the lead up to Cancun. EU member states agreed the substantial reforms in agriculture under the medium-term review proposals in June 2003.
Although the substantive work had already been done on the DDA, by the end of August, in preparation for Cancun, the gaps between the WTO members proved to be wider than could be bridged during the five day conference for reasons of substance, tactics and organisation. Thus, for example, the newly established group of 21 developing countries, including Brazil, China and India, displayed at an early stage of the conference a strong reluctance to move from their established positions on all issues. With progress at the meeting being virtually impossible, therefore, the chairman of the conference, the Mexican Foreign Minister, closed the discussions very shortly after the substantive negotiations had begun.
Additional Information.A process of internal reflection and consultation among EU member states and within and between the EU Commission and Council has already commenced. This is appropriate before reaching firm conclusions on the next steps to be taken. This will also allow for critical consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of the WTO as an organisation and what needs to be done to enable it to achieve its objectives. Ireland is participating in this process on the basis that the Government continues to support a multilateral rules-based system of international trade and a strong WTO as the best means to meet the challenges ahead.