Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 2

Written Answers. - World Trade Organisation Negotiations.

Michael Creed

Ceist:

95 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department will ensure that the European negotiating position for the World Trade Organisation takes account of majority world food security concerns and an impact assessment of the agreement on agriculture on majority world countries is carried out prior to the opening of these negotiations. [22057/99]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews)

The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, AoA, brought the agricultural sector under a new set of multilateral trade rules and disciplines with regard to market access and reductions in domestic support and subsidies. Under article 20 new negotiations on agriculture must be initiated by 1 January 2000 taking into account inter alia the effect which the agreement has had on developing countries. This review is a key part of the so-called built-in agenda for the millennium trade round.

With respect to the review of the AoA. the World Trade Organisation Singapore ministerial conference instituted a preparatory process of analysis and information exchange, the AIE process. This process of information exchange provides a forum for WTO members to identify problems in the current Agreement and to discuss ways of solving them in future negotiations.

Net food importing developing countries, NFIDCs, have expressed their concerns about the effect of the AoA on their situation, particularly as regards basic cereal import bills. Since both food aid and subsidies declined substantially in the mid-1990s, NFIDCs have faced higher food import bills. Their reliance on food imports means that they are by definition highly vulnerable in such circumstances. These food security concerns were addressed in the WTO Marrakesh agreement which provides mechanisms for periodically monitoring the levels of food aid, the adoption of guidelines to ensure a sufficient level of food aid in full grant form and for full consideration in donors' aid programmes of requests for the provision of technical and financial assistance to improve agricultural productivity and infrastructure in least developed countries and net food importing developing countries. While advances have been made on the first two issues greater progress on the question of technical and financial assistance will be an important issue in the future round of negotiations.

The review of the agreement on agriculture will provide an opportunity to address the concerns of developing countries taking into account the review of the operation of the agreement with regard to food security. The negotiating position on agriculture in the new round approved by the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers on 27 September 1999, provides that the EU will promote special and differential treatment for developing countries, especially for the least developed countries. I welcome the opportunity to deal with this important issue which is of crucial importance to many developing countries. Ireland will be encouraging a sympathetic response to the food security issues identified by developing countries during the forthcoming negotiations.