France throws wrench in EU talks |
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Published
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Tue, 18 Oct 2005 21:05
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LUXEMBOURG: European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson urged EU governments to give him a mandate to negotiate a world trade deal that would benefit member countries equally whether rich or poor.
Mandelson was responding to France’s accusation that he was exceeding his brief on negotiating farm aid. The WTO talks are currently embroiled in an internal dispute that could derail the talks on cutting farm subsidies. Several countries led by France argued that the EU negotiators had gone beyond what the national governments had earlier agreed upon.
The emergency meeting was called by France, a significantly large agricultural economy and the biggest recipient of EU’s farm aid, on concerns that the EU could make excessive concessions while responding to poorer countries’ demands.
Mandelson protested that it was necessary to cut tariffs for agricultural products if the talks were to proceed. Lending support were US trade representative Rob Portman who agreed that talks could come to a halt if the individual European governments did not back Trade Commissioner Mandelson and Farm Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.
Portman voted in favour of liberalising the EU markets saying without it no gains in development were possible.
A few diplomats feared Mandelson might not succeed in negotiating much if France stuck to its demands for a review and reassessment of what the EU had already offered. The EU has so far offered to cut trade-distorting agricultural support by 70 percent.
The French Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin said Mandelsson ignored limits set down by the EU governments and did not consult with them. He also demanded limits on Mandelson’s sweeping powers.
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