Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress which has been made towards the establishment of a World Trade Organisation working group to examine non-tariff barriers to trade, particularly for electronic, pharmaceutical and chemical products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4097/06]

Michael Ahern (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Since adoption of the WTO July 2004 Framework Agreement, WTO members have focused their attention on non-tariff barriers, NTBs, in recognition of the fact that they are an integral and important part of the non-agricultural market access, NAMA, negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda.

The recent Sixth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference, in Hong Kong, noted that the WTO NAMA Negotiating Group, in Geneva, has made progress in the identification, categorisation and examination of notified NTBs. It also noted that WTO members are developing bilateral, vertical and horizontal approaches to the NTB negotiations, and that some of the NTBs are addressed in other fora including other negotiating groups. These NTB negotiations would include those in respect of electronic and other industrial products.