AGRICULTURE: NEGOTIATIONS

Chairperson’s working documents November 2007–January 2008

Updated: 4 January 2008

Ambassador Crawford Falconer, chairperson of the agriculture negotiations, sent members eight new working documents — on market access — on 4 January 2008, bringing the total since November to 16. After the chairperson circulated his revised draft “modalities” paper in July and August, the talks entered their most intensive phase so far. The working documents reflect the progress made. They are designed to focus the discussions and help the chairperson prepare the next revised draft “modalities” paper.

> Original mandate: Article 20
> The Doha mandate
> The Doha mandate explained

The working documents

Market access (January 2008)

16. Market access — recently acceded members (RAMs), 4 January 2008
> Download: 1 page in Word (35KB), pdf 14KB)

15. Special Products, 4 January 2008
> Download: 3 pages in Word (57KB), pdf 28KB)

14. Special agricultural safeguard (SSG), 4 January 2008
> Download: 1 pages in Word (36KB), pdf 16KB)

13. Tariff quotas, 4 January 2008
> Download: 2 pages in Word (38KB), pdf 19KB)

12. Tariff simplification, 4 January 2008
> Download: 1 page in Word (35KB), pdf 18KB)

11. Tariff escalation, 4 January 2008
> Download: 2 pages in Word (44KB), pdf 18KB)

10. Sensitive products, 4 January 2008
> Download: 4 pages in Word (49KB), pdf 31KB)

9. Tiered formula for tariff reductions, 4 January 2008
> Download: 2 pages in Word (45KB), pdf 21KB)

 

Domestic support (December 2007)

8. Blue box, 21 December 2007
> Download: 3 pages in Word (40KB), pdf 23KB)

7. De minimis, 21 December 2007
> Download: 1 page in Word (32KB), pdf 16KB)

6. Final bound total AMS: A tiered formula, 21 December 2007
> Download: 3 pages in Word (39KB), pdf 21KB)

5. Overall reduction of trade-distorting domestic support: A tiered formula, 21 December 2007
> Download: 2 pages in Word (33KB), pdf 17KB)

 

Export competition (November 2007)

4. Main provisions, 12 November 2007
A fourth working paper dealing with export competition, this time focusing on the main provisions on export subsidies and competition in the July-August 2007 revised draft modalities.
> Download: 2 pages in Word (33KB), pdf 24KB)

1-3. Export finance, 6 November 2007
The three working papers deal with export finance (credit, credit guarantees and insurance), state trading enterprises and food aid. They are draft legal texts, further revisions to annexes D, E and F of the July-August 2007 revised draft modalities. The three were circulated in a single file.
> Download: 9 pages in Word (103KB), pdf (57KB)

WHERE AND WHO? 

How are these issues being negotiated?

In this phase of the negotiations, the hard talking takes place in meetings of 37 representative delegations, a more manageable size than sessions of the full membership. The process is controlled by meetings of the full membership and is chaired by the talks’ chairperson, Ambassador Crawford Falconer of New Zealand. The 37 meet in Room E at the WTO and the sessions are sometimes called “Room E” meetings. All coalitions are represented to ensure the talks are inclusive and transparent.

The 37 are (from January 2008):
Argentina (Cairns Group, G-20), Australia (Cairns Group coordinator), Benin (Cotton-4, African Group, least-developed, Africa-Caribbean-Pacific), Brazil (G-20 coordinator, also Cairns), Canada (Cairns), Chad (Cotton-4 coordinator, also African Group, least-developed, ACP), China (G-33, G-20, recent new member), Colombia (Cairns, tropical products group), Costa Rica (tropical products coordinator, also Cairns), Côte d’Ivoire (African Group coordinator, also ACP), Cuba (G-33, small and vulnerable economies), Dominican Republic (small-vulnerable economies coordinator, also G-33), Ecuador (tropical products, recent new member), Egypt (G-20, African Group), EU, India (G-33, G-20), Indonesia (G-33 coordinator, also G-20, Cairns), Jamaica (ACP coordinator, also G-33, small-vulnerable), Japan (G-10), Kenya (G-33, African, ACP), Rep. Korea (G-33, G-10), Lesotho (least-developed countries coordinator, also African Group, ACP), Mauritius (G-33, ACP, African), Malaysia (Cairns), Mexico (G-20), New Zealand (Cairns), Norway (G-10), Pakistan (Cairns, G-20, G-33), Paraguay (Cairns, G-20, tropical products, small-vulnerable), Philippines (G-33, G-20, Cairns), Switzerland (G-10 coordinator), Chinese Taipei (recent new members coordinator, also G–10), Thailand (Cairns, G-20), Turkey (G-33), Uruguay (Cairns, G-20), US, Venezuela (G-33, G-20).

(Previously, during 2007: Lesotho as least developed countries coordinator; Panama as recent new members coordinator; Uganda as African Group coordinator.)

> More on coalitions