Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 8 • Number 16 • 5th May 2004
General Council Chair Outlines Road To July Agreement
On 29 April, WTO Members met for an informal Heads of Delegation meeting. The half-day meeting took stock of overall development in trade negotiations following the Cancun Ministerial in September 2003 and to date, and served to enhance transparency. In the words of India’s ambassador to the WTO, KM Chandrasekhar, "it was an exploratory meeting… We need to start thinking about the July package in its entirety at this point, but it will take more time before we focus and start zeroing in on issues". Deputy Director General Rufus Yerxa also briefed Members on progress in informal consultations on the so-called Singapore issues of investment, competition, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation (see related story, this issue).
General Council Chair Shotaro Oshima (Japan) noted that the latest meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) had reached "a widely-based informal understanding that the aim is to reach agreements at a framework level by the summer" (see BRIDGES Weekly, 22 April 2004). He stressed the need for delegates to make the most out of this window of opportunity, in particular in view of pending US elections and the changeover in the European Commission later this year.
Path to July framework
Oshima outlined the steps negotiators would have to take in order to be able to agree on a framework for July — a "July product" — prior to the WTO annual break. He noted that Members would have to create a balanced and acceptable product, taking into account, however, that they had weeks rather than months at their disposal for this task. The focus of the outcome would be on agriculture, industrial market access, cotton, the Singapore issues as well as issues with a particular development interest, such as special and differential treatment for developing countries, and implementation issues. He said that Members would have to reach general agreement by the end of May, in order to progress to working on potential draft text in June and July, and agree on a product by the end of July.
Links to the political process
Delegates stressed the need to synchronise the Geneva process with a number of political meetings scheduled to take place in May. Oshima noted that "The May General Council meeting will follow on the heels of a number of ministerial meetings. It will be an important opportunity to provide a sense that we are back on track and that there is progress on key issues". However, he stressed that the actual work will have to be undertaken in Geneva, with the political process giving it a boost.
US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick hosted a small meeting among key trade ministers on 1 May (see related story, this issue), the least-developed countries (LDCs) are holding their annual meeting from 4-5 May in Senegal, and the African Group is meeting in Rwanda shortly after. In addition, trade ministers from 30 countries will meet at the sidelines of an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development summit in Paris on 14 May, chaired by Mexico.
The next WTO General Council is scheduled for 17-18 May.
ICTSD reporting; "Member States Prepare For Cautious Steps Towards New WTO Agreement," AFP, 29 April 2004.