Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:215 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will report on the current position in the WTO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7417/03]
Written Answers - WTO Declaration.
The WTO Declaration agreed at the fourth trade ministerial meeting in Doha, in November 2001, provides for a new round of multilateral trade liberalisation negotiations across a broad spectrum of trade related issues. The declaration, one of the key documents from the ministerial meeting, outlines a wide-ranging work programme and is the blueprint for negotiations which are scheduled to conclude by 2005.
Negotiations are ongoing across the range of topics involved including, in relation to trade-related issues in the areas of agriculture, services, trade related intellectual property rights, dispute settlement and trade and development. Ireland participates in the negotiations as part of the European Union and the EU and its member states are contributing substantially to the delivery of key outputs under the Doha work programme.
As a small open economy, particularly reliant on exports for economic development, Ireland supports a strengthening of the WTO and of the multilateral trading system and an ambitious approach to the elimination of remaining barriers to trade in goods and services. Issues of importance to Ireland under the current round are the conclusion of agreements in the areas of agriculture, services, market access and trade measures to assist the economies of developing countries in particular, focusing on how to better integrate developing countries into the global trading system.