Dan Neville
Ceist:17 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the status of World Trade Organisation trade developments; and the role of his Department in this matter. [8316/00]
Written Answers. - World Trade Organisation.
As the Deputy is no doubt aware, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has primary responsibility for co-ordinating Ireland's policy concerning the World Trade Organisation and the prospects for a new round of global trade negotiations. The Department of Foreign Affairs, at headquarters and through the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations in Geneva and the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels remains closely involved in the preparation and implementation of this policy.
The third ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization, which was held in Seattle from 30 November to 4 December 1999, failed to reach agreement on the launching of a new round of global trade negotiations. The meeting was officially suspended but looking at matters realistically, I see little chance of it being resumed and what is likely is that in due course a new – fourth – ministerial meeting will be convened. Whatever the reasons for the failure of the Seattle meeting – and I see no point in attempting to attribute or apportion any blame for that to the different participants, each of whom went to Seattle determined to defend and promote their particular interests – what is important now is to ensure that momentum is not lost and that negotiations continue with a view to launching a new round as soon as possible.
Ireland, together with our partners in the European Union, remains committed to the conclusions which were agreed at the meeting of the General Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 11 October last, and which were formally adopted on 26 October. The conclusions propose a broad-based comprehensive round of trade negotiations, to be concluded within a relatively short period of, say, three years. Such a comprehensive round would offer the opportunity of achieving a broad range of objectives of benefit to all WTO members in terms of further liberalisation and expansion of trade, increased transparency and predictability and equal opportunities for all WTO members to obtain results on the basis of balanced negotiations. The European Union will continue to advocate such a course.
The EU's policy with regard to a new global round attaches particular significance to ensuring that it would respond to the special interests and concerns of developing countries and that a development agenda should be reflected in all areas of negotiation. In Seattle, the EU gave a commitment to promoting duty and quota free market access for essentially all products imported from developing countries. Ireland strongly supported this policy and looks forward to its early implementation. Agriculture in general and food security in particular are key issues for developing countries. The Department of Foreign Affairs will continue to pay particular attention to the needs of the developing countries in the talks and discussions which I hope will lead to the launching of a new global round.
Ireland's commitment to supporting the needs of the developing countries is evidenced in that we were among the first countries to sign, at the Seattle ministerial meeting, an agreement to the establishment of the advisory centre in Geneva on WTO law for developing countries. The Agreement was signed on our behalf by Minister of State, Mr. Kitt who led Ireland's delegation at the conference. Ireland thus became a founder member of the centre and we will contribute $2.25 million to it over five years. The centre will provide invaluable advice and assistance for developing countries – in particular the least developed – in defending their trade rights and availing of the dispute settlement mechanisms of the WTO. In supporting this project we have underlined in a practical way our view that the Millennium trade round should reflect closely the needs and interests of the developing world and should facilitate the integration of developing countries into the world trade system.
Under existing WTO agreements, members are committed to certain follow-on reviews and negotiations across the so-called built-in-agenda topics covering services, agriculture, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property, TRIPS, technical barriers to trade, Government procurement, investment measures, TRIMS and textiles. Also under existing agreements, negotiations in these areas must begin this year.
In the absence of a general global round of trade negotiations, the immediate focus within the WTO lies accordingly on these built-in-agenda issues. Negotiations in these areas will be conducted through the existing WTO groups in Geneva under the direction of the General Council. As no negotiating guidelines issued from Seattle, the negotiations will be based on existing WTO legal texts and are without specific time deadlines.
On agriculture, there is a legal obligation under Article 20 of the agreement on agriculture, that negotiations should commence now. The negotiations will be handled by the WTO committee on agriculture meeting in special session. The Committee on Agriculture is in fact meeting in Geneva yesterday and today.