Minister Lehtomäki disappointed in the breakdown of WTO talks

Press release 215/2003
15 September, 2003


Foreign Trade and Development Minister Paula Lehtomäki is disappointed in the breakdown of the talks at the WTO ministerial conference in Cancún, Mexico. According to Lehtomäki, a positive outcome of the negotiations would have been needed to boost the global economy.

Minister Lehtomäki is especially concerned about the developing countries and their integration in the global economy. They would be the ones to benefit most from the trade liberalisation and the multilateral arrangements. Minister Lehtomäki says that the poor and the weak countries are probably also the first ones to suffer from the prolonged Doha round as pointed out by the WTO’s director general in his closing statement.

According to a recent study published by the World Bank, successful WTO negotiations, referred to as the Doha Development Agenda, would mean a benefit of 350 million US dollars for the developing countries by the year 2015.

The failure of the talks is also a setback for the credibility of the multilateral trade system, Lehtomäki points out. A functional trade system based on regulations should benefit everyone, and it would be regrettable, especially from the point of view of the developing countries, if only the strong ruled, says Lehtomäki.

The failure of the Cancún talks does not mean, however, that the whole Doha round would have failed, Minister Lehtomäki points out. It is, however, obvious that the original schedule set for the round can no longer be followed, says Lehtomäki. Actually, it is not the first time in the history of GATT/WTO that negotiations are behind schedule.