Description | Programme | Participants | Documentation

Description

Negotiations on agriculture are presently in a critical phase with intense pressure on WTO Members to come to an agreement on critical modalities in the three agricultural pillars of market access, domestic-support and export competition. The positions of the two heavyweights in international agricultural trade-the US and the EU-will be a critical determinant of forward movement for the entire agricultural negotiations and thereby the entire Doha Round. It is therefore critical for WTO Members and other stakeholders to understand and appreciate the dynamic and complex factors shaping US and EU farm policies and in order to assess what may be a realistic and feasible outcome for the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial conference.

To enable such an understanding and appreciation amongst stakeholders, this dialogue was jointly convened by ICTSD and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS). The meeting aimed at providing insights into the political processes and realities that shape decisions on market access, domestic support and domestic policy reform. It looked at the priorities for policy making in the EU and US in the run up to Hong Kong and highlighted how the US farm bill and the EU CAP reform might affect the negotiating position and flexibilities of the EU and US in the run up to Hong Kong. The speakers addressed the impacts of the respective policies on the multilateral trading system and specifically on the current Doha negotiations and also discussed subsequent effects on worldwide agriculture and sustainable development goals.

Professor Robert L. Thompson, Chair of the International Food and Agriculture Trade Policy Council addressed US domestic farm policies while Mr. Peter Thompson, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Delegation of the European Commission to the WTO, shared political insights on the EU agriculture reform. The presentations were followed by a moderated discussion amongst participants.