WTO NEWS: SPEECHES — DG PASCAL LAMY


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> Pascal Lamy’s speeches

  

Madam Councillor of State, Dear Michèle,
Distinguished Mayor of Bernex,
Ladies and Gentleman,

On behalf of the entire WTO family, I would like to thank you for dedicating the Vigne des Nations vintage to the WTO this year.

The symbolic value of this gesture has been highlighted by the particularly violent storm that wreaked havoc on the vines last week. My presence here today is a testimony of the World Trade Organization's support for the wine growers that devote so much passion and energy to nurturing their vines to produce wine of the highest possible quality. My thoughts go out to them. As we know all too well, agriculture is at the mercy of climatic vagaries. But vines are fundamentally robust, as is the relationship between wine and trade.

Indeed, wine was among the first and main products to be traded and sold. As early as the second millennium before Christ, Phoenician and Greek ships sailed back and forth across the Mediterranean loaded with amphoras of wine. We have these two civilizations of great seafaring traders to thank for the proliferation of vineyards around the Mediterranean Basin.

Wine is also at the core of economic thought: after all, it was wine that Ricardo used to illustrate his now famous theory of comparative advantage.

Finally, wine is often the subtle — or somewhat less subtle — companion of trade negotiations. In order to survive the sometimes endless hours of discussion, negotiators need energy and inspiration — and what could be better than wine? We all know the old saying that wine “gives courage to the timid, unties tongues and sharpens the wit”.

Of course, as a Frenchman, wine is part of my life, part of my culture. I am happy to have had the opportunity to spend eight years in Geneva at the head of the WTO. Eight years have left me plenty of time to taste and to appreciate the diversity and quality of Swiss wines.

Let me conclude this short speech with a few words of thanks to the City and Canton of Geneva and the Confederation for their hospitality and their unwavering support during these eight years. Without that support, we could not have completed the great task of renovating and enlarging the WTO site. The work is now drawing to a close, and I look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to the WTO Open Day next Sunday, 30 June — another opportunity to clink glasses!

In the meantime, thank you once again … and to your health!

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