By Daisy Ayliffe - 18th October 2005
EU trade negotiator Peter Mandelson is back at the Geneva WTO talks table but faces conflicting demands both from inside and outside Europe.
The European trade commissioner is caught in a political tug of war as the US and Brazil push the EU to go further on farm subsidy cuts – while Paris insists he has offered too much.
France has described recent EU negotiating positions on agriculture as “unacceptable” and continues to issue dark warnings to the liberalising UK commissioner.
France is not alone with Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Hungary also concerned at the direction of EU trade policy.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy accuses Mandelson of going beyond his brief by planning to reduce agricultural subsidies without consulting all member states.
“We are talking about major sectors of European agriculture. Jobs are at stake and our job is to defend them,” said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
“[The commission] has already gone beyond [its mandate] and we hope that message got across. This position is unacceptable.”
Mandelson heads to the Geneva talks refusing to have his hands tied by the French, he told reporters that subjecting all positions to national oversight would “stop trade talks in their tracks.”
The trade commissioner called for greater farm flexibility from within the EU on Wednesday.
"The EU will show some further flexibility, indicating how we want to move forward on agriculture," he said.
"But I must say honestly to my colleagues: Europe urgently needs to start seeing more clearly the benefits the (WTO's) Doha Round will offer in trade in industrial goods and services."
The EU has so far offered a 70 per cent cut in trade-distorting farm subsidies, largely in line with a reform already agreed by member states.
It has also proposed cuts of at least 50 per cent in its highest farm import tariffs and fewer "sensitive" goods that it protects the most.
The Geneva negotiations come ahead of the WTO meeting in Hong Kong in December - considered the last chance for a global trade deal under the current negotiating round.
The main trading nations will continue to search for common ground, particularly on agriculture, to clear the way for a global trade deal to be agreed this winter.
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stressed the importance of the Doha agenda on Tuesday, but he insisted a multi-lateral approach was the only way forward.
“The Doha Development Agenda is the most important challenge we face in
international economic co-operation,” Barroso declared.
“The days when deals were struck in the wings of bilateral EU-US agreements are over. But we do still have a crucial role and responsibility in responding to the aspirations the Round has aroused. And we need a success for multilateral co-operation.”
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.