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EU farm ministers take stock of WTO failure
Taormina (Italy) Sept 22: European Union farm ministers meeting here has unanimously agreed to support a multilateral approach to trade negotiations favoured by the EU, despite the collapse of WTO talks in Cancun.
Taormina (Italy) Sept 22: European Union farm ministers meeting here has unanimously agreed to support a multilateral approach to trade negotiations favoured by the EU, despite the collapse of WTO talks in Cancun.
"All ministers want to stick to the multilateral
approach, and made it very clear (that the bilateral approach)
was not an alternative," EU Agriculture Commissioner Franz
Fischler said yesterday.
On Friday Fischler had said it was unlikely that multilateral trade talks would resume quickly following the failure of the world trade organisation talks in Cancun, Mexico earlier this month.
"It seems to me that to say 'OK, forget Cancun, let's go to Geneva (at WTO headquarters) and the ambassadors will do what the ministers didn't do in Cancun' is an illusion," Fischler said.
The conference in Mexico foundered in a dispute between developed and developing countries over reductions in farm subsidies and on proposals for the WTO to sponsor talks on a global mechanism governing cross-border private investment.
Agriculture ministers also agreed here that reforms to the EU common agricultural policy (CAP) should remain on track as agreed at a tough session of negotiations between EU members in June in Luxembourg.
That agreement will pave the way to limited reform to the way the EU subsidies its cereal and dairy farmers.
"All ministers agree that the reform remains in place," Fischler said. Bureau Report
On Friday Fischler had said it was unlikely that multilateral trade talks would resume quickly following the failure of the world trade organisation talks in Cancun, Mexico earlier this month.
"It seems to me that to say 'OK, forget Cancun, let's go to Geneva (at WTO headquarters) and the ambassadors will do what the ministers didn't do in Cancun' is an illusion," Fischler said.
The conference in Mexico foundered in a dispute between developed and developing countries over reductions in farm subsidies and on proposals for the WTO to sponsor talks on a global mechanism governing cross-border private investment.
Agriculture ministers also agreed here that reforms to the EU common agricultural policy (CAP) should remain on track as agreed at a tough session of negotiations between EU members in June in Luxembourg.
That agreement will pave the way to limited reform to the way the EU subsidies its cereal and dairy farmers.
"All ministers agree that the reform remains in place," Fischler said. Bureau Report