Description
Issues
at the intersection of biotechnology and trade continue to cause tensions
among the proponents and opponents of the technology. In particular
the recently launched WTO dispute against the EU's de facto moratorium
on the approval of new genetically modified organisms (GMOs), brought
by the US, Argentina and Canada, has placed these issues under the spotlight
of public debate. At the same time, many of the more contentious trade
and biotechnology-related issues have been moved to the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, which despite its crucial role in these discussions continues
to attract only limited attention.
Similarly,
the impacts of trade concerns could be clearly felt during the first
Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Kuala
Lumpur in February 2004 and are expected to become even more apparent
and critical during upcoming negotiations of additional documentation
requirement for shipments of biotechnology products. Developing countries
are often caught in the middle of these debates as they are grappling
with the challenge of balancing biosafety and trade concerns when designing
their own biotechnology policies and regulations.
These
and other developments in this area raise a number of urgent questions.
To what extent will trade considerations constrain the Parties to the
Cartagena Protocol when finalizing and implementing biosafety measures
under the Protocol? What flexibilities does the multilateral trade regime
provide for countries to implement their biosafety regulations and how
will these flexibilities be impacted by the WTO dispute? Will it be
possible to strike an adequate balance between a precautionary approach
to policy-making and existing obligations under international trade
rules? What are some of the other considerations that might come into
play? How could the Codex Alimentarius Commission play a constructive
role in this context while not becoming an alternative forum for trade
negotiations?
The
Roundtable will provide an opportunity to address these and other related
questions in an informal setting among those making and influencing
policy in this area.
