Doha deal hopes linger

Trade negotiators are readying themselves for serious talks aimed at concluding the six-year Doha round this autumn.

Having examined papers on a liberalisation agreement presented by the World Trade Organization (WTO) last week (17 July), negotiators will begin attempts to narrow margins on agricultural subsidies and market access on 3 September, with talks on industrial goods opening the following week.

But further talks in September will largely depend on whether the US is prepared to work with compromises on farm subsidies presented by the WTO’s chief mediator on agriculture, Crawford Falconer. The US delegation found a proposed cut of 82% in cotton subsidies particularly unpalatable.

Despite reservations expressed by Ireland and France on proposed reductions in EU agriculture subsidies and tariffs, the EU delegation has indicated its readiness to work with last week’s drafts.

"It went as well as could be expected," said an EU trade official in Geneva of talks this week. "There were no major surprises. Nobody threw back their heads in horror and said ‘we can’t work with this’. The key point is that everyone has accepted, bar a few marginal voices, that the texts are a basis for talks."

Simon Michel Berger from the European farmers’ lobby Copa-Cogeca, said that farms could suffer revenue losses of up to €37 billion should the proposals go through in their current form. He added that Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson had failed to push for more stringent intellectual property and environmental protection rules.

But Berger’s estimates drew criticism from the EU trade official. "This is a meaningless figure. What proportion of EU farms does it represent? It’s irresponsible to bandy about figures like that," he said.

Trade negotiators are readying themselves for serious talks aimed at concluding the six-year Doha round this autumn.