Transcript
30 November, 2009 (Geneva Time)
Doorstop interview - following Cairns Group Meeting in Geneva
Subject: Food security; protectionism; Doha; Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Question (Watershed Sentinel): Could you comment on the impact of biofuels on food security?
Minister Crean: Well, this is an important question that we have grappled with in the context of environmental goods and services. There is a very strong argument that those biofuels that are based on food sources run counter productive to the notion, to the food security buildup – but I think that there is a very strong case for looking at the second generation biofuels in terms of renewable energy and less reliance on a carbon based solution. So we do see biofuels as an important issue going forward. But we do have to deal with that important balance that it is not competing with scarce food supplies, or pushing the price of food up.
Question (Watershed Sentinel): One other question following up on what I asked earlier. You were mentioning about protectionism related to jobs. Do you still consider protectionism when there are environmental concerns?
Minister Crean: No, I don’t think that we can have recourse to any mechanisms in the name of something else, if fundamentally it is protectionist. We have spent too long, an agonisingly lengthy time, in which people accept the principle that we have got to break down protectionism, but then find it hard when it comes to the crunch, either because industries etc, sensitive sectors need to be protected...
Question (Watershed Sentinel) Do you really feel that that is, for example, what happened with the European Union. When Europe did not want to accept genetically engineered food, then that was deemed somewhat to be a form of protectionism. Is that not going to be allowed?
Minister Crean: Well, this is the constant debate with quarantine related restrictions. We have a vested interest in this as an island continent that has been essentially disease free, but the essential determinant of decisions that countries take in this regard has to be based on the science. And the point that Nestor was making earlier is true. The science continues to improve in this area. And this is a challenge that we should embrace. We should embrace it with open minds, and we should only make the decisions based on the science, not on it being a protection for the particular industry.
Question (Swiss Public Radio): Do you think it is harder to finish the Doha Round in times of crisis and protectionism?
Minister Crean: No, I think it’s hard anyway. It was hard in the most buoyant of economic times and the most rapid of economic growths where clearly trade liberalisation and sustained economic growth should have made it a lot easier. Even then it was hard, but I think that the global financial crisis has caused some very important rethinks. First of all, it has elevated the importance of trade to the economic stimulus. Trade, and the opening of markets, and trade liberalisation, is a stimulus that doesn’t hit the budget. And therefore, it is important to conclude the Doha Round as part of the global economic recovery. It is also important to take out insurance against further reversion to protectionism. But I think that the other interesting dimension that has come out of the global financial crisis is that as we see stronger economic growth in the Asian region, there are many economies there understanding the importance to their economic development being built not just around agriculture and goods, but also services. So the ability to bring into this Round, in a parallel way, a consideration of services, I think has been a beneficial consequence of the global financial crisis.
There are domestic and strong expectations and strong political will to conclude the Round, and people will come forward with constructive suggestions.
Question (Inside US Trade): The US announced at APEC that it would participate in the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). Do you think the US...didn’t fully say they were going to participate?
Minister Crean: It was a very important statement of intent. The administration prepared to engage with trade. There was realisation that it had to be part of what was emerging in the Asia Pacific Region.
But it’s also important when we look at regional trade agreements - and this debate going on in the WTO about the consistency of those with WTO principles – the fact that the US and the other seven participants are agreed that it has to be a comprehensive quality FTA - puts an important benchmark down for moving forward in terms of whatever emerges as trade structures, trade architectures, within the fastest growing region in the world.
Question (Inside US Trade): But do you really think the US will fully participate?
Mr Crean: I think that it was a very strong statement of intent and it was very well conveyed. We expect their constructive engagement in it.
ENDS
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