WTO Ministerial Section • Volume 2 • Number 19 • 25th May 1998
WTO ministers gear up for more debate on new trade talks
WTO trade ministers agreed to hold next September a special session of the WTO General Council in order to draw up recommendations on the future work program, including a possible new round of trade talks. According to the ministerial declaration, the General Council is to develop recommendations for the third WTO ministerial scheduled for 1999, and should consider among other issues, issues related to the implementation of existing agreements and decisions; ensuring that trade negotiations agreed to under the Marrakesh Agreement–which established the WTO, get underway, and recommendations on the follow-up to the October 1997 High Level Meeting on Least-Developed Countries. The General Council is to also consider “other matters proposed and agreed to by Members concerning their multilateral trade relations,” which could lead to a new round of trade talks.
The U.S. will play a key role in the preparatory process for the third ministerial, which members agreed would be held in the U.S. next year. U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said the U.S. had not yet taken a formal position on a so-called Millennium Round of trade talks. U.S. President Clinton, in his speech to the ministerial meeting last week signaled some commitment to a new trade round, although his remarks focused mainly on the timing of a new round. “We should explore whether there is a way to tear down barriers without waiting for every issue in every sector to be resolved before any issue in any sector is resolved.” The U.S. wants to avoid the fate of the Tokyo and Uruguay Rounds that took ten and over seven years, respectively, to conclude.
EU trade commissioner Sir Leon Brittan first floated the idea of a Millennium Round earlier this year. Brittan said he was encouraged by Mr. Clinton’s speech in Geneva last week. “I regard this as a step forward. It is a substantial step towards U.S. commitment to a round,” he said. Another EU official said, “We were encouraged–and it really was beyond our expectation–that the word ’round’ was used in [President Clinton's] speech. That shows an openness to the process that we welcome.”
Developing countries are less open to a new trade round. African trade ministers last week issued a joint statement calling for a full assessment of the Uruguay Round–in light of African countries’ experience, before expanding the WTO work plan.
African ministers acknowledged that the multilateral trading system had contributed to economic growth in Africa. The ministers’ joint statement noted however that “our continent continues to be bypassed with regard to the benefits of the remarkable growth and greater global economic integration of recent years, and hence continues to experience marginalization from the global economy.”
“The institutions and human resources for trade administration in our countries have been severely stretched by the demands of implementing our obligations and exercising our rights in the multilateral trading system,” the ministers’ statement said.
Also last week, WTO ministers agreed to consider how to improve the transparency of WTO operations.
“WTO Ministerial Declaration,” WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, May 20, 1998; “WTO ministers to launch preparations for new talks in September,” INSIDE US TRADE, May 22, 1998; “Clinton’s WTO ideas stir controversy,” WALL STREET JOURNAL, May 19, 1998; “Brittan welcomes Clinton trade talks call,” FINANCIAL TIMES, May 20, 1998; “Clinton urges new, faster trade round,” FINANCIAL TIMES, May 19, 1998; “Trade: Africans reject new issues in WTO until old problems solved,” IPS, May 19, 1998.