Media release
Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile
September 10, 1999
Helping developing APEC countries plan for freer trade
Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, today announced that Australia would provide up to $100,000 in technical assistance for developing countries in our region with their plans for freer trade.
Mr Vaile said the funding would assist developing countries to improve the comprehensiveness, transparency and layout of their Individual Action Plans (IAPs) for freer trade.
Speaking at the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Auckland, Mr Vaile said that APEC's Individual Action Plans were the single most important process within APEC for recording and encouraging trade liberalisation.
"Recording all reform efforts is a big job and that's why we are prepared to devote some resources for technical assistance on producing better documents to record future trade and investment commitments," Mr Vaile said.
Mr Vaile also welcomed the external review of APEC members IAPs by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). PECC is an independent tripartite body of business, academics and government representatives from 22 Asia-Pacific economies.
Mr Vaile said the report showed that APEC was on track to achieve its goals of free trade by 2010/2020, but there was considerable lagging in agriculture.
"Against the background of the economic downturn in our region continued progress was particularly pleasing. Simple average tariffs (around 8.8 percent in 1998) were declining faster than WTO commitments."
The PECC report showed that IAPs have recorded significant liberalisation and reform by APEC economies since their inception in 1996. They had prevented a major winding back of trade liberalisation initiatives during the economic crisis, provided a focal point for spurring reform within domestic agencies and encouraged economies to go further or faster than originally planned. Progress had also been achieved in reducing non-tariff measures as well as the liberalisation of services and investment.
"The PECC report highlights the progress that has been made, but also the need for Australia to keep driving the APEC process to deliver real benefits for Australian exporters," Mr Vaile said.
Mr Vaile used the APEC meeting to register Australia's concerns for greater access to APEC markets and the need to carry forward APEC's trade liberalisation agenda to the WTO Ministerial in Seattle.