Australia: France undermining world trade
BusinessWeek
OCT. 24 5:38 A.M. ET
France is jeopardizing world trade and preventing millions of people from rising out of poverty by refusing to accept a plan to open European agricultural markets, Australia's trade minister said Monday.
The current round of World Trade Organization talks stalled earlier this month in Geneva when wealthy countries failed to reach an agreement on lowering domestic agriculture subsidies and tariffs.
Mark Vaile, Australia's trade minister and deputy prime minister, said the EU and "particularly France" were responsible for the deadlock by refusing to accept a plan to cut European farm aid.
"They need to understand they are threatening the future of global trade and cheating millions of the world's poor out of new hope," Vaile said in a speech to a Sydney think tank. "It's not enough for them to provide aid and debt relief when the benefits of liberalizing trade are so much greater."
An agreement in December in Hong Kong is supposed to set up WTO members to conclude the so-called Doha round of trade talks next year, with an emphasis on poorer countries, for whom rich countries' farm subsidies and import tariffs pose a major obstacle to development.
However, the position of France -- the biggest beneficiary of EU farm subsidies -- could derail the December meeting, where the WTO's 148 members hope to outline a deal by year's end.
Some have suggested the Hong Kong meeting should be delayed if the EU does not produce an offer to significantly lower its agricultural trade barriers -- an idea Vaile rejected.
"I don't believe the meeting should be postponed, even if the EU does not put forward a better proposal," Vaile said. "I believe that the EU and France would need to account for their actions before the parliament of world opinion."
"They should feel the full force of the world's disappointment at the way they would have destroyed the hopes of millions of people," he added
BusinessWeek
OCT. 24 5:38 A.M. ET
France is jeopardizing world trade and preventing millions of people from rising out of poverty by refusing to accept a plan to open European agricultural markets, Australia's trade minister said Monday.
The current round of World Trade Organization talks stalled earlier this month in Geneva when wealthy countries failed to reach an agreement on lowering domestic agriculture subsidies and tariffs.
Mark Vaile, Australia's trade minister and deputy prime minister, said the EU and "particularly France" were responsible for the deadlock by refusing to accept a plan to cut European farm aid.
"They need to understand they are threatening the future of global trade and cheating millions of the world's poor out of new hope," Vaile said in a speech to a Sydney think tank. "It's not enough for them to provide aid and debt relief when the benefits of liberalizing trade are so much greater."
An agreement in December in Hong Kong is supposed to set up WTO members to conclude the so-called Doha round of trade talks next year, with an emphasis on poorer countries, for whom rich countries' farm subsidies and import tariffs pose a major obstacle to development.
However, the position of France -- the biggest beneficiary of EU farm subsidies -- could derail the December meeting, where the WTO's 148 members hope to outline a deal by year's end.
Some have suggested the Hong Kong meeting should be delayed if the EU does not produce an offer to significantly lower its agricultural trade barriers -- an idea Vaile rejected.
"I don't believe the meeting should be postponed, even if the EU does not put forward a better proposal," Vaile said. "I believe that the EU and France would need to account for their actions before the parliament of world opinion."
"They should feel the full force of the world's disappointment at the way they would have destroyed the hopes of millions of people," he added
