WTO

Minister Kouchner and Minister Martin met in the margins of the informal dinner in Paris, 3rd June, and discussed the current state of play in the WTO negotiations.

The Ministers confirmed that Ireland and France want to see a successful outcome to the Doha round, but share serious concerns at the lack of balance in the negotiations at this critical stage in the process.

Recent developments, in particular the publication of revised negotiating texts on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), have been very disappointing. These have failed to introduce the required balance into the negotiations. EU agriculture continues to bear a disproportionate burden. The current negotiations do not address the high barriers to industrial and services market access in emerging countries for all exporters. Finally, they fail to address the specific needs of the poorest countries.

The Ministers agreed that it is entirely clear that a WTO deal will require the unanimous approval of all Member States. This unanimity requirement will not be changed by the Lisbon Treaty. It will continue to apply in future to the conclusion of important international trade agreements such as the current WTO negotiations.