TWN
Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Dec17/21)
13 December 2017
Third World Network
US NO to improving PSH peace clause, MC11 inching to collapse
Published in SUNS #8595 dated 13 December 2017
Buenos Aires, 12 Dec (D. Ravi Kanth) - The World Trade Organization's
Buenos Aires ministerial meeting (MC11) is inching towards collapse
after the United States refused to concede any improvements in the
existing peace clause for public stockholding programs for food security
that was agreed in November 2014, according to people familiar with
the development.
During the green room meeting on Tuesday (12 December) of six countries
- the United States, the European Union, China, India, Brazil, and
Australia - the US made it clear that it cannot agree to any improvements
for a permanent solution as mandated first in the 2013 Bali ministerial
declaration and later reinforced in the 2015 Nairobi ministerial declaration.
India and China had demanded that the permanent solution for public
stockholding programs has to be an improvement over the so-called
interim peace clause with legal certainty as well as reasonable transparency
and notification provisions, and safeguard parameters.
The European Union and Brazil had insisted that the permanent solution
must be linked to outcomes in domestic support.
The EU said that it wants a global package that includes the permanent
solution, a partial outcome on fisheries subsidies, and a new mandate
for electronic commerce.
India and China did not accept any linkages with the mandated permanent
solution.
Meanwhile, the chairperson for the World Trade Organization's eleventh
ministerial meeting (MC11), Ms Susana Malcorra, continued her authoritarian
style of running the conference and announced on Monday (11 December)
that three conference vice-chairs will facilitate meetings on new
issues - investment facilitation, disciplines for micro, small, and
medium enterprises, and trade and gender.
She made the announcements at a plenary meeting, but without giving
the floor to any of the assembled ministers to express their views,
several participants told SUNS.
In the same style, she also made announcements about intentions on
"plurilateral initiatives" of some members over e-commerce,
and said she would take decisions.
During the heads of delegations (HoD) meeting at the end of the second
day of the conference, Ms Malcorra announced that the three vice-chairs
- Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, Nigeria's Minister of Industry, Trade and
Investment; Mr David Parker, New Zealand's Minister of Trade; and
Mr Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of
Hong Kong (China) - will preside over meetings on the three issues.
She informed the participants that she will convene another meeting
on Tuesday (around 1400 hours Buenos Aires time) to finalize the process
that the three vice-chairs will adopt for the new issues.
The chairperson also announced that trade ministers from a group of
countries had approached her to indicate that they will embark on
a plurilateral initiative on electronic commerce.
Ms Malcorra did not indicate which ministers or the numbers of ministers
who had approached her for pursuing the plurilateral initiative.
Ms Malcorra said that she will complete her consultations tomorrow
on e-commerce following which she will indicate her decision about
the plurilateral initiative.
But a large majority of developing countries said categorically that
they want to continue with the 1998 work program without any change
while many industrialized and several developing countries called
for a new mandate on e-commerce.
However, Ms Malcorra did not give the floor to members to express
their views and abruptly concluded the meeting, said several participants,
who asked not to be quoted.
The participants said they wanted to object to Ms Malcorra's decision
but were unable to do so because of the manner in which she concluded
the HoD meeting.
When asked whether there were any objections from the participants
to Ms Malcorra's decision to nominate the three vice-chairs for the
new issues, Keith Rockwell, the WTO spokesperson, said there were
no objections.
When asked whether it was true that Ms Malcorra did not open the floor
to participants to express their views, Rockwell said it is correct.
When questioned again about his initial statement that there were
no objections from the trade ministers when the floor was not even
opened for comments, Rockwell said he was merely asked in the first
instance whether there were objections to Ms Malcorra's announcement
but not whether the floor was open to participants.
Clearly, the WTO spokesperson's answers revealed the disquiet about
the announcement made by the chair-person Ms Malcorra to facilitate
work on three issues - investment facilitation, disciplines for micro,
small, and medium enterprises, and trade and gender - in the face
of unbridgeable differences among members.
The director-general Roberto Azevedo issued a bleak report suggesting
that members have a long way to close gaps in all areas.
Azevedo, Rockwell told journalists, said he is not a magician
as he does not have a magic wand that can produce a rabbit (out of
air) if members fail to make progress in the next 48 hours.
The facilitator for agriculture negotiations Ambassador Amina Mohamed
held a meeting with the trade ministers of six countries - the United
States, the European Union, China, India, Brazil, and Australia -
but the participants stuck to their traditional positions.
The EU sought a linkage between the permanent solution for public
stockholding programs for food security and electronic commerce and
a partial solution on IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing)
subsidies.
Ms Mohamed was supposed to issue a draft text late Monday evening
but it was deferred till Wednesday afternoon before the departure
of the United States Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer.
Differences continued to persist on the proposed outcomes in agriculture,
electronic commerce, a partial deliverable on fisheries subsidies
and development, at the end of the second day of the World Trade Organization's
Buenos Aires meeting.
During the open-ended meetings conducted by the respective facilitators,
the United States stuck to its hardline positions, opposing the outcomes
as demanded by proponents for the permanent solution for public stockholding
programs for food security, and improvements in special and differential
flexibilities as demanded by the African countries, a trade minister
told SUNS.
On a partial outcome for prohibiting subsidies that contribute to
illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, positions remained
sharply divergent among key members.
The US pressed for addressing the transparency and notification requirements
while India said it is not willing to accept any outcome other than
continuing negotiations after the Buenos Aires meeting.
New Zealand, Norway, and several other countries demanded that overfished
stocks must be included in the outcome.
As regards the electronic commerce, the European Union, Japan, Canada,
Korea, Australia, and many South American countries pressed for accelerating
the negotiations with a new mandate.
But many developing countries, including India, South Africa, and
many African countries said they will not accept any change in the
work program of 1998.
On the issue of permanent solution for public stockholding programs
for food security, which is being demanded by the G33 group of countries,
including China and India, the US apparently suggested the existing
perpetual peace clause is adequate without needing a permanent solution.
A US trade official who asked not to be quoted said that there will
be no outcome in agriculture except a likely plurilateral meeting
with a group of countries on Tuesday on transparency in SPS measures.
The official suggested that the USTR has made it clear that the US
is seeking only an improvement in transparency and notification requirements
at the Buenos Aires meeting.