EU: New WTO negotiations would be “complicated and unpredictable”

Global trade faces complications that would be reflected in the next Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will be held between February 26 and 29 in Abu Dhabi. For the European Commission (EC) The negotiations of this thirteenth session are expected to be “complicated and unpredictable.”

“We will do everything possible to make the 13th ministerial conference a success, despite the prospect of complicated negotiations and unpredictable in Abu Dhabi,” said the Executive Vice President of the EC and European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, during an appearance in the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament.

A few days before the event takes place, Dombrovskis affirms that the general situation is “complex” and considers that repeating “the success” of the previous conference will be “very challenging.”

For the executive vice president of the EC, among the most complicated issues to agree on at the ministerial conference are those related to fishing subsidies, agriculture and the moratorium on electronic commerce.

Likewise, he maintains that negotiations on dispute resolution reform “will also be challenging.”

“Regarding the reform of the dispute settlement system, the discussions in Geneva show progress, but it is not politically realistic to find an acceptable consensus space in the appeal at this time,” he commented.

According to the agriculture, Dombrovskis assures that there is “a general divergence” in the views of WTO members, and this makes it unlikely that substantial results will be obtained, which is demonstrated in the recent talks in Geneva. Therefore, he warns that “we must be prepared for a hectic process at the thirteenth ministerial conference.”

The EC Executive Vice President also indicated that India and South Africa are key countries to maintain political contacts for the next ministerial conference to be successful.

“China is also an important player in all areas, and we encourage China to play a constructive role in the negotiations on fisheries and agriculture. It is necessary to work to overcome differences over the mandate on trade and industrial policies,” she noted.

Additionally, Dombrovskis highlighted Brazil’s role in issues related to agriculture.

The participation of the European Union (EU) in the WTO event was not the only thing under debate in the International Trade commission of the European Parliament, as the recent work of the European Union was also discussed. EU-US Trade and Technology Councila forum where both sides coordinate their approaches on key global trade, economic and technological issues.

Regarding the limits of the Trade and Technology Council to overcome the US approach that seeks to promote the consumption of local products over those from third countries, Dombrovskis acknowledged that it is not always possible, and recalled the Inflation Reduction Law promoted from Washington .

However, the executive vice president of the EC stressed that at least this council represents a platform to debate and address the differences between the two blocs.

With upcoming elections in the EU and the United States, the future of the Trade and Technology Council is still unclear. For Dombrovskis, its maintenance will depend on the political will of the next administrations in Washington and Brussels.

(With information from the EFE agency).