Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
16 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the priorities of the Irish Presidency of the European Union with regard to agricultural trade relations with developing countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10004/04]
View answerThe Irish Presidency programme, published in December 2003, sets out the broad objectives to be pursued regarding development and multilateral trade policy issues aimed at assisting developing countries and integrating them into the multilateral trading system.
In so far as agricultural trade is concerned, the Presidency programme provided for a debate at the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Killarney on how the impact of CAP reform on international trade as well as opportunities arising from existing and future international arrangements can best be communicated to the EU's trading partners and, in particular, developing countries.
The Ministers had a useful discussion on these issues when they met on 11 May 2004. The discussion underlined the importance of the trade measures being implemented by the EU which are designed to assist developing countries, namely, the generalised system of preferences, the Cotonou Agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the everything but arms measure for the least developed countries.
The meeting also acknowledged that, in the context of a new WTO agreement, it will be important to work with developing countries to ensure special and differential treatment and that particular attention will have to be given to the needs of the least developed and most vulnerable countries.
