Vol. 427 No. 7
115 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he will oppose a proposal by a person (details supplied) for a new MTO structure in the current GATT round until the issue of Third World representation is agreed to their satisfaction.
The EC, with the support of member states including Ireland, favours the concept of a Multilateral Trade Organisation (MTO) as currently proposed in the GATT Uruguay Round negotiations.
The main reason for this is that a permanent institution of this kind is seen to be needed to ensure the satisfactory integration of the present multilateral trading system with the many new provisions which form part of the Uruguay Round negotiations, such as agreements to deal with trade in international services and trade involving intellectual property rights. Currently, under the umbrella of the GATT, there are numerous arrangements, decisions, understandings and agreements relating to international trade which operate unsatisfactorily without the benefit of a common institutional basis and direction.
As discussions on the proposed MTO are ongoing and form part of the overall Uruguay Round negotiations, the final shape which the proposed organisation will take is far from clear at this juncture. It is anticipated however that Third World concerns will be adequately taken into account in any final structure.
