Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-23-Speech-3-335"
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"en.20080423.23.3-335"2
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"Madam President, at first sight it is strange that we should be debating the reform of the WTO in the wake of the extended deadlock of the Doha Round negotiations. Nevertheless, it is well worth debating the operation and the future of the WTO because this deadlock is due to structural and institutional problems, and shortcomings in the system of world trade. The report by Mrs Muscardini also demonstrates this.
In my view, the major challenges of the attempted reform are threefold. Firstly, there must be the greatest possible and mutually profitable liberalisation of commercial exchange, for this is a tried and tested provider of economic growth. The objective certainly remains the equal distribution of benefits among the members of the WTO and the harmonious incorporation of developing countries into the world trade system.
Secondly, the challenges are to be found in the institutional arrangements required to guarantee the consent, unified commitment, democratic legitimacy, transparency and effectiveness of an organised world trade governance. Thirdly, the appropriate balance must be found between commercial and non-commercial issues.
The WTO member states have every right to apply restrictive trade measures in a bid to protect the environment, public health and consumers. A typical example is the cases brought before the WTO’s tribunals by trading partners against the EU, owing to GMOs and the ban on beef imports containing hormones originating from the USA and Canada. It should, however, be understood that the solution does not lie in overloading the WTO with additional responsibilities, but linking mutual support and consistency with goals and actions, both by the WTO and other international organisations.
Ladies and gentlemen, the WTO’s mission is not to cover operational gaps left by other specialised bodies in the UN system. The global community is undergoing both a worrying financial and economic crisis, and an undocumented food catastrophe. In the face of these two scourges, cosmetic changes, such as the lifting of barriers, is not enough. Global challenges demand global understanding, systematic convergence and a coherent regulatory regime. This applies to social responsibility, environmental protection and economic competitiveness."@en1
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