Written answers

Thursday, 8 March 2007

Department of Agriculture and Food

International Agreements

5:00 pm

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the degree of implementation of the general commitment by the main World Trade Organisation negotiating partners at Davos on 28 January 2007 to a full resumption of WTO negotiations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9092/07]

Photo of Michael NoonanMichael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of the WTO talks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8846/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 83 together.

Following the political commitment made by WTO Ministers from the main negotiating partners at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, the WTO Director General announced the full resumption of formal negotiations across all negotiating areas of the current WTO round at the meeting of the WTO General Council meeting on 7 February.

These negotiations are on-going at present and take the form of bilateral and plurilateral meetings between the main negotiating partners and multilateral meetings of the full WTO membership in Geneva. The efforts to achieve progress will continue over the coming months.

I remain committed to an ambitious and balanced outcome to the negotiations. As an open economy dependent on trade Ireland has much to gain from the conclusion of a new WTO agreement. However, I remain determined that agriculture must not be sacrificed for the sake of an overall agreement and that, in accordance with the agreed EU negotiating mandate, a new WTO agreement will not necessitate further reform of the CAP. The EU has undertaken CAP reform in preparation for the negotiations and I believe that it has already made a generous offer to reduce trade distorting subsidies and to provide substantial Special and Differential Treatment for developing countries.

I will continue to take every opportunity to emphasise the absolute necessity that the Commission remains within the terms of the negotiating mandate. I will continue to work closely with like-minded Ministers in other Member States to seek support for my position.

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