EU determined to keep to the deadline for WTO negotiations follow-up

Government Information Unit,
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Press release 233/2004
26 July 2004





EU determined to keep to the deadline for WTO negotiations follow-up
The European Union’s General Affairs and External Relations Council met in Brussels on Monday to discuss how to achieve progress in the Doha negotiation round of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Finland was represented by Paula Lehtomäki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development.

The EU wants to keep to the target of agreeing on the framework for follow-up negotiations on the Doha Development Round by the end of July. The Chairman of the WTO General Council announced his proposal on 16 July, and the Members States take the view that agreement could be reached on the text at the meeting of the WTO General Council. The Council also expressed its support for the EU Commission regarding continuation of the negotiations.

The most important issue is agriculture and especially export subsidies, where there are considerable differences of opinion among WTO members. In May, EU Commissioners Pascal Lamy and Franz Fischler sent a letter to WTO members stating that the Union is ready to show flexibility in the matter of agricultural export subsidies provided that all forms of export competition are treated equally strictly and that the agricultural package is well-balanced and acceptable to the EU.

Finland feels it is particularly important for agreement on a framework for the negotiations to be reached by the deadline date. Finland also considers that the EU showed a high degree of flexibility during the spring, and achieving results now calls for considerable concessions on the part of the other WTO members. The EU must maintain the conditionality of its offer and ensure that the final outcome is well-balanced.

Further information: Matti Lassila, Director, tel. +358 9 1605 5530, Ministry for Foreign Affairs