Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-16-Speech-1-158"
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"en.20060116.17.1-158"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I doubt very much whether we could we have expected more from the WTO Summit in Hong Kong. Why would countries commit themselves at this stage if the final result has not been scheduled until the end of this year? It stands to reason that more time has been taken out to strike the best balance between aid to poor countries and attention to the economic strength of our own. I think that the participants are motivated to reach new trade agreements. Good agreements are needed to prevent trade becoming a Wild West story. Law and order in trade is in everybody’s interests. I am also confident that eventually, the idea of improving the position of the poor countries will enjoy wide support. As such, I see the outcome as a promising intermediate step.
A great deal needs to be done, though, before we can call this a real development round. I am pleased with the commitment to abolish the export subsidies in agriculture, including the indirect ones. I also welcome the initiatives, such as Everything But Arms from other countries, which must also apply to more of their products, and also all LDCs. I would also include the effect of a special and differential treatment, as well as capacity building.
I am pleased that the Commissioner shares my view that this round should be a development round, and I should like to congratulate him on his energy and commitment. I think that he is negotiating from a particularly difficult position, because his mandate is known to the public beforehand and is the result of a public decision-making process in the Union.
It is a good thing that the Member States have consistently presented a united front, and perhaps unfortunate that the European strategy, more than that of other negotiators, has been under attack, sometimes even from European quarters. Might that be the reason why the European Union was often dealt the bad card, even if it is much stronger and does much more than other countries?
In order to prevent the negotiations in Geneva from going without public support, I would ask the Commissioner to apply the same level of commitment when entering further into the negotiations and continuing to inform the EP about the state of affairs and about the strategy, with a view to making the necessary progress, even in important areas such as counterfeiting and services. Indeed, much needs to be done in those areas."@en1
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