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WTO/EU: EU Ministers told: learn the lessons of Cancun

Brussels/Geneva. When EU foreign affairs ministers will meet in Brussels today to revive the EU's WTO agenda, they will be told by European non governmental organisations (1) to seize the opportunity and abandon the anti-development policies that caused the collapse of the WTO meeting in Cancun in September last year.

European foreign affairs and trade ministers together will meet with EU Commissioner Lamy and Fischler to discuss the EU's position in light of a key General Council meeting of the WTO. The meeting is intended to agree a framework agreement to revive the stalled Doha round of trade negotiations. (2)

On agriculture, 17 key environment and development groups call on the EU to agree to eliminate export subsidies with a clear end date without making it conditional on obtaining new concessions from developing countries. In addition the groups want the EU to give farmers in developing countries the right and means to protect their farmers from imports that threaten food security and to review and eliminate domestic support while supporting food security, the environment, small scale livelihoods and rural development.

On non-agricultural goods (NAMA), NGO warn that the EU's current negotiating tactic as pursued by Commissioner Lamy to open developing country markets could lead to deindustrialisation and erosion of trade policy as instrument to preserve the environment and protecting the poor. NGO call on the EU to protect government's policy space and agree a full review of potential environmental and developmental impacts of these talks.

On services, another area where the EU seeks improved offers, civil society groups call to exempt from services negotiations essential services, such as education, water, health, energy, access to which are important for human development and women's empowerment.

On the controversial Singapore issues, NGOs point out that the EU position to drop investment, competition and government procurement from the Doha Round is a step in the right direction but that all Singapore issues should be dropped as demanded by 45 developing countries. (3)

On special and differential treatment current provisions need to be strengthened with effective implementation.

Contact:
Alexandra Wandel, FoEE, +49 172 748 39 53 (m)

Notes:
1) The open letter is available at http://www.foeeurope.org/trade/ETNlamyletter.pdf
. It has been signed by the following groups: Friends of the Earth Europe, ActionAid International UK, African Initiatives, Both ENDS, CAFOD (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development), CIIR (Catholic Institute for International Relations), Christian Aid, Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, Harvest Help, Methodist Relief and Development Fund, Misereor, Oxfam International, RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), Tools for Self Reliance, Traidcraft Exchange, WIDE (Women in Development Europe), Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (UK)

(2) The meeting is scheduled to be held from 27-29 July in Geneva.

(3) 45 developing countries have demanded that the Singapore issues should be dropped from the WTO altogether (WT/GC/W/522).

 

Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment,
unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups
and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.