Mandelson and Fischer Boel on G4 Doha Negotiations

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and EU Comissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fischer Boel both commented yesterday on the disappointing outcome of the G4 Ministerial negotiations in Potsdam.

Commissioner Mandelson said, "We have covered a wide agenda and gone across the whole terrain of the negotiations…. We have a broad landing range in agriculture which is fair and forthcoming to developing countries and takes to the limit what the EU can do…. But we cannot negotiate with ourselves.... It emerged from the discussion on non-agricultural market access that we would not be able to point to any substantive or commercially meaningful changes in the tariffs of the emerging economies as a reasonable return on what we are paying into the round.

"This is not a North-South showdown. It is not only we who want something out of the round. Both the developed world and the fast growing competitive countries of the developing world must create trade-offs for the most needy. These are the countries who should not be overlooked otherwise they will never cease being the most needy."

Commissioner Fischer Boel said, "This is a great disappointment. It's a bad day for the multilateral system. We have worked very hard to get a deal and have shown willingness to squeeze the lemon to the last drop to obtain a balanced result among the G4 countries. Europe was prepared to cut our average farm tariffs by more than half. It took decades to obtain the same result in industry. We were prepared to eliminate export subsidies by 2013 and cut trade distorting domestic farm subsidies by more than 70 percent.

"We of course hope that the Geneva process can do better, but frankly I am not optimistic. So, historic opportunities have been lost today…. And those who risk losing the most were not present here today."

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