New Blueprints on Farm and Non-Farm Trade Issued for ‘Crucial’ Talks

(WTO)

The latest revisions of two papers including what could become the formulas for cutting tariffs and trade-distorting agricultural subsidies in a final deal were issued on 10 July 2008. They are the outcome of the latest discussions in negotiation groups and will be a focus of crucial talks combining these and some other subjects when a representative group of ministers meet in Geneva from 21 July.

The two documents are revisions of drafts previously circulated in July 2007, May and February 2008. They are the result of WTO member governments’ latest positions in the discussions since September 2007, one of the most intensive periods of negotiations since the Doha Round talks began in 2001.

They are agriculture negotiations chairperson Ambassador Crawford Falconer’s and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) chairperson Don Stephenson’s latest draft “modalities”.

Links: Agriculture text & NAMA text.