Media Release

Thursday, 31 July 2003 - MVT58/2003

Hard Road To Cancun

Trade Minister Mark Vaile today said a three-day meeting of key WTO ministers in Montreal, Canada had offered a glimmer of hope that efforts to revive the stalled Doha Round of world trade talks might be successful.

However, further specific proposals were now needed from Europe and Japan that they were prepared to open their agriculture markets to keep the negotiations alive.

“We heard some new ideas this week, which were positive but there was still no real progress on the key issue of  agricultural market access.  The situation remains serious ahead of next month’s full Ministerial Conference in Cancun,” Mr Vaile said. 

“The problem remains that the European Union and Japan are unable to meet the agriculture mandate agreed at Doha of substantial improvements in market access, and the elimination of export subsidies. The EU is so far offering nothing more than the failed formulas of the Uruguay Round, which did nothing to free global trade in agriculture.

“A constructive discussion was held on market access in industrial goods and on the so-called Singapore issues of investment, competition policy, trade facilitation and government procurement.

“I reiterated that for Australia, along with the vast majority of other members – developed and developing – that an ambitious outcome on agriculture is necessay for a successful round.”

Contact:  Matthew Doman  02 6277 7420