EU/US
Summit
Washington, 17 December 1999
EU-US STATEMENT ON THE WTO
The European Union and the United States consider the multilateral trading
system one of world’s principal bulwarks of peace, sustainable development,
and economic growth; and a primary engine for rising living standards
and broad-based prosperity in the future. As we approach the new century,
we must ensure that the trading system retains its dynamism and ability
to respond to changing needs of an increasingly diverse membership.
Accordingly, both sides note their disappointment at the failure to reach
agreement on a new Round of trade negotiations at Seattle, but they agree
it is now important to find a way forward. In this context, the EU and
the US both pledge continued readiness to work with Director General Mike
Moore and our partners to launch an inclusive new Round as soon as possible.
A new Round has to be definitively different from its predecessors. It
should encompass the built in agenda of agriculture and services, further
and effective market access liberalisation, support our efforts to harness
globalisation by strengthening and extending WTO rules, and address the
concerns of both developing countries and civil society.
With the Director General and all other members of the WTO, we need to
take full account of the lessons of Seattle. In particular, work should
be directed towards a set of measures that will: provide better opportunities
for wider participation by all members (including developing countries)
in the decision-making processes of the WTO; offer greater transparency
(both within the organisation and vis-^-vis the outside world); and improve
public access, including through broader access to WTO documents and enhanced
consultation procedures with civil society. This work should also consider
measures to improve the efficiency of the WTO, and to boost overall public
support for the organisation. We should also seek agreement by all members
on the separate review of WTO dispute settlement procedures, including
measures to enhance transparency.
The EU and US are committed to maximising the benefits developing countries
gain from being in the WTO. We agreed to take forward a preferential market
access initiative for least developed WTO members, initially with our
Quad partners. We will work with other WTO Members to establish as soon
as possible a new, revitalised program for capacity building and technical
assistance undertaken by the WTO, beginning with the Integrated Framework
established in 1996, and in cooperation with other international institutions.
We also agreed to consider what we would do to address the concerns of
a number of developing countries with implementation of existing multilateral
trade agreements.
On issues of interest to our civil societies, we agreed that changes
to global economy have brought new challenges to the trading system. Nowhere
is that more evident than the debate that is now joined regarding the
relationship between trade and labour. The EU and US are committed to
working with our partners to engage the WTO and ILO in a constructive
dialogue, including consideration of the relationship between core labour
standards, further liberalisation, trade policy and social development,
in order to foster understanding and consensus. And on trade and environment,
we will work together to ensure that trade rules support and do not undermine
the ability of governments to establish and achieve high levels of environmental
protection.
The cooperative relationship between the EU and the US has been crucial
to the development of the multilateral trading system over the past 50
years. We recognise our shared responsibilities to continue this work,
but also the need to involve all our WTO partners more directly. This
will pave the way for continued prosperity, sustainable development, and
long-term growth for the 21st century.
