WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE

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• WORKSHOP ON MARKET ACCESS IN THE DOHA WORK
  PROGRAMME
• Ministry of Foreign Trade International
  Cooperation and UNCTADGuyana, September 2002
• WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE
• Time Frame of Negotiations
• Negotiating Positions
• Contentious Issues

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TIME FRAME OF NEGOTIATION
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2000 - 2001
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2002-2003Negotiations on Modalities
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MARKET ACCESS MODALITIES

• TARIFFS
• TARIFF QUOTAS
• TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION
• SPECIAL SAFEGUARD MEASURES
• OTHER ISSUES

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MARKET ACCESS MODALITIES

• Item / Parameter Modalities SD
• Product coverage e.g. All agricultural products
  as per Annex 1 of the Agreement on Agriculture
• Base rates e.g. Final bound Uruguay Round rates
  and other bound rates as per Members' Schedules

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MODALITIES Tariffs and TRQs

• Reduction method / target for further
  commitments
• Reduction method e.g. Formula for further
  tariff cuts
• Reduction target
• Other commitments e.g. With respect to
  simplification of tariff systems
• Implementation period and staging of further
  commitments

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MODALITIES Importing State Enterprises

• Scope of entities to which additional/improved
  disciplines would be applicable e.g. As per
  paragraph 1 of the Understanding on the
  Interpretation of Article XVII of GATT and the
  related illustrative list (document G/STR/4)
• Specific disciplines e.g. Relating to the
  special rights and privileges granted to
  importing STEs

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MODALITIES SSG and Other

• SPECIAL SAFEGUARD MEASURES (e.g. Maintenance /
  modification / elimination of price-based and/or
  quantity-based Article 5 special safeguard
  measures
• OTHER ISSUES
• Trade Preferences
• Food Security
• Food Safety

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NEGOTIATING POSITIONS
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Major Players
USA
Central/Eastern European countries
Export subsidies?
EU
Domestic support?
CAIRNS GROUP
Substantial tariff cuts?
Norway, Japan, Korea
Multifunctionality
Domestic support?
Eliminate export subsidies
Massive cut in domestic support
Switzerland
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Substantial and progressive liberalization (Cairn
s Group)
Flexible and gradual liberalization, taking into
account non-trade concerns (Multifunctionality
group)
Developing Countries Export Markets Domestic
Markets
better market access less trade distortion
food security, rural development
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CONTENTIOUS ISSUES
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IMBALANCE between developed countries and DCs

• The existing AoA rules seem to bestow SD
  treatment on developed rather than developing
  countries. (from the Development Box proposal)

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SPECIAL DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT

• How to redress the imbalance?

• Widen the scope of SD
• more flexibility in WTO rules to meet development
  need
• specific SD to meet different needs among DCs
• review the Enabling Clause

?

• or not?
• liberalization by all is the best SD
• enough flexibility to meet adjustment needs
• SD should not harm other DCs
• no discrimination among DCs

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NON-TRADE CONCERNSShould they determine the
scope of liberalization?

• Multifunctionality of agriculture
• Characteristics or objective?
• Specific to agriculture?
• Are trade-related measure necessary to foster
  multifunctional nature of agriculture?
• Food security and rural development in DCs
• Immediate or long-term food security?
• How is it linked to trade policies?
• Can WTO rules do anything for food security?

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