Mr Walker, who is also New Zealand’s ambassador to the WTO, was speaking at the end of the latest set of meetings on 7, 8 and 11 December. The focus was largely on the more technical issues of preparing “templates” (blank tables and forms, explained below) and data. Both of these will be needed for members to list their new commitments on opening markets or cutting tariffs or subsidies arising from the negotiations.

He also outlined briefly the consultations he has been holding privately with delegations on one of the issues that remain undecided in the current “Rev.4” draft “modalities”. This was the special safeguard mechanism (SSM, explained here).

In his summary, the chairperson refers to an EU presentation to delegates on its “Meursing Table” and how this could be simplified. The EU uses the Meursing Table to determine the customs tariffs for some processed agricultural products based on what they are made of. These products include confectionary, cakes and biscuits. Their tariffs are defined according to the level of milk fats and proteins, sugar and starch they contain. The table results in a possible 27,720 combinations of tariffs which the EU has offered to reduce to less than 300.

Audio

Use these links to download the audio files or to listen to what he said:

Monday 7 December 2009 (on “templates” and data)
Audio: Chairperson Walker’s opening statement part 1
Audio: Chairperson Walker’s opening statement part 2

Friday 11 December 2009 (wrap-up of the week)

Audio: Chairperson Walker’s statement part 1 (templates)

Audio: Chairperson Walker’s statement part 2 (data)

Audio: Chairperson Walker’s statement part 3 (modalities issues)

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This meeting

This was an informal agriculture negotiations meeting of the full membership, officially an “Informal Open-Ended Special Session” of the Agriculture Committee.

The latest texts and a number of related issues can be found with explanations here, including what “the text” is and says, and a “jargon buster”.

The current phase of the negotiations is about “modalities”, explained here.

Explanation

Explanations of the issues are available for the chairperson’s 2008 drafts and reports.

Templates and data. Part of the technical work is on organizing the data necessary to calculate commitments, which will be listed in “schedules” of commitments. Electronic forms or tables will be used to present base data — data to be used as the starting point for calculating commitments — in a way that is transparent and verifiable. Eventually they will be used to design “templates” for how the commitments will be presented.

Among the data needed are domestic consumption, for calculating the tariff quotas on sensitive products, and values of production for calculating domestic support commitments.

The technical work follows the draft “modalities” text of December 2008 and is in two steps:

Step 1: considering what “base data” are needed under the present draft “modalities” — what is already available, what will need to be “constructed”, and whether the draft “modalities” says how this should be done. This step would also include the question of whether supporting tables — tables displaying the data and how they are derived — are needed and what their format would be.

Step 2: developed from step 1, designing “templates” or blank forms to be used for the commitments resulting from the Doha Round negotiations, and for any supporting data required. Parts of the data could be presented before, during or after “modalities” have been agreed.

(Chairperson Walker has also referred to an eventual step 3: filling in the numbers.)

Schedules: In general, a WTO member’s list of commitments on market access (bound tariff rates, access to services markets). Goods schedules can include commitments on agricultural subsidies and domestic support. Services commitments include bindings on national treatment.

Templates: Here, blank forms prepared for the schedules of commitments, and for data used to calculate the commitments. Some of the data will be in “supporting tables” attached to the schedules of commitments.

Modalities: A way to proceed. In WTO negotiations, modalities set broad outlines — such as formulas or approaches for tariff reductions — for final commitments. In agriculture, the modalities include formulas and approaches for cutting domestic support and export subsidies as well.

The three pillars: the main areas covered by the agriculture negotiations — export competition (export subsidies and related issues), domestic support and market access.