Negotiations among four key World Trade Organization (WTO) governments over a new global agreement collapsed Thursday, June 21, with India and Brazil blaming US and European unwillingness to cut farm aid and import duties on commodities.
Trade and agriculture ministers from the US, the European Union, India and Brazil began what was to be almost a week of talks on June 19 in Potsdam, Germany, aiming to reach a breakthrough on slashing agriculture subsidies and lowering hurdles for goods crossing borders.
Even though trade chiefs insist a deal is still possible, the collapse may spell the end of the Doha Round of talks.
"It was very clear at lunchtime and was said at lunch that it was useless to continue the discussion based on the numbers on the table," Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told reporters. "The decision not to continue with the negotiation was not ours."
The breakdown mirrors last July's collapse, when negotiations among the four government plus Japan and Australia disintegrated, prompting WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy to suspend discussions.
Without a deal among the four governments, the Doha Round that began in late 2001 and has yet to meet any deadlines may fail or be put on hold for years because of elections and ensuing policy changes in the US and India.
Once again, "the ball will now be in the court of Pascal Lamy," Amorim said.
While an agreement among the four governments "would have been helpful to pave the way toward multilateral convergence, helpful does not mean indispensable," Lamy said in a statement.
"The negotiating process is driven by the Chairs of the negotiating groups, who have responsibility to table compromise texts in their respective areas. I now call on the members of the G4 to contribute to the multilateral negotiating process, which will continue as of today in Geneva", added Lamy.
The EU, the US, India and Brazil should now try to reach an agreement along with the remaining WTO governments rather than as a smaller group, he said.
Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said the US offered to cap its overall spending on trade-distorting domestic support at 17 billion US dollars.
Brazil and India, as leaders of the so-called G20 alliance of farm commodity-exporting nations that also includes China and Argentina, are pushing for an annual US spending limit of below 15 billion.
European Union Trade Commissar Peter Mandelson said negotiations blocked when emerging countries refused to offer something in exchange for EU concessions in agriculture.
Brazil and India were apparently unwilling to go far enough in cutting tariffs on non-agricultural goods.
Europe needed to offer more on reducing agricultural tariffs and the US was unwilling to go further in reducing domestic subsidies for agriculture.
"I hope this is not the last exchange of opinions in the G4," said Mandelson who next Monday will be reporting to the Council of Trade ministers in Luxembourg to assess the results of the Potsdam meeting.
"In the last twelve months we've had advances and we've moved in different issues linked with farm negotiations. As EU trade commissar I made it clear that we need a final gesture which leads us to an ambitious, balanced and fair conclusion," he underlined.
The United States has not given up on the WTO Doha round U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said after talks with the European Union, India and Brazil collapsed.
"We certainly have not given up on the process but this is not a happy outcome," she told journalists in Potsdam, Germany.
Mercopress
Show Comments (5)
João da Silva
To:Forrest
[quote]WELL SAID !
[/quote]
Admiral, a tribute to ya from an unexpected source. My congrats.
ch.c.
to Forest Brown !
WELL SAID !
In many ways Lula should do what Kirchner has done :
– for a while, banned the beef exports and banned even some grains exports to have more available at home and at a cheaper price for the most needy !.
forest Brown
feed them at home first
keep what you grow from the ground and feed your poor ,
cut your price at the stores , not raise them to the export price at home
same with your chicken meat , and beef
and stop asking for aid to feed your poor
ch.c.
Yesssssss….who is right ?
1) 2 articles below, it says that Brazil left the negotiations and in this article…..just the opposite……as usual !
2) Brazil has their 2 biggest trade surpluses with the USA and the EU ! Why should it grow even more without trade reciprocity ?
Yessss about 50 % of your trade surplus comes from the USA and the EU !
Brazil is far more closed and has higher trade barriers/import taxes than the EU and USA has against Brazil.
Lets face it, you are afraid of competition. Agricultural goods is the not largest industry, neither in Brazil, nor in the USA or the EU !
Manufactured goods and Financial services are far larger than agriculture….even in Brazil !
Lets compete EVERYWHERE….not only where you chose !
S I M P L E
Jo
who is right?
Well its hard to say where the truth lies, Brazil deserves to be able to export more like americans and europeans deserve more access to the brazilian market…….