WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/260
21 July 1999
(99-3031)
General Council Original:  English
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Elements of a Ministerial Declaration on a Programme for Trade Negotiations
Communication from Switzerland
The following communication, dated 20 July 1999, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Switzerland.
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1. The attached document sets out Switzerland's views on the overall structure and, for a number
of issues, on the substantive content of a Declaration on a Programme for Trade Negotiations to be
adopted by the third WTO Ministerial Conference.
2. This communication is also designed as a contribution to the transition towards the third
(drafting) phase of the preparatory process which will commence in September.
3. In this connection, Switzerland proposes:
(i) To stand back from the details of the preparations for Seattle in order to figure out
how the outcome of the General Council's work on future negotiations can be
arranged in a coherent structure.
(ii) To focus the debate on the drafting of recommendations to be addressed to Ministers
regarding the objectives, general principles, mandates and organisational
arrangements for the upcoming negotiations.
4. Switzerland wishes to stress that the attached document does not cover the full scope of the
future WTO's work programme as it may flow out of the May 1998 Ministerial Declaration.  Nor does
this document address other decisions that Ministers may also take at Seattle.  It only deals with the
next round of trade negotiations.
5. For most of the substantive elements, the attached document recapitulates negotiating
mandates submitted by Switzerland in separate communications.  Those mandates are structured inthree clusters reflecting, in Switzerland's view, the main thrusts of the forthcoming negotiations:
market access, responsiveness of the system and issues of coherence.  The elements relating to the
objectives and general principles governing negotiations consist of headings illustrated by ideas
expressed in telegraphic style.  The remaining elements of the proposed structure are only presented
in the form of headings referring to matters upon which Members should act.
6. As indicated in the document, Switzerland does not consider the list of subjects for
negotiation enumerated in each cluster to be exhaustive.  For instance, it does not include those issuesWT/GC/W/260
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relating to implementation which may have to be de alt with in the framework of future negotiations.
The complete inventory of subjects for negotiations will of course be drawn up during the third phase
of the preparatory process.  The proposed structure provides for the necessary flexibility in this
regard.
7. It is understood that, in addition to a declaration on a programme for negotiations, the Seattle
Conference will decide on other aspects of the future WTO work programme.  Such aspects may
cover, inter alia, follow-up activities to the High-Level Meeting on Least-Developed Countries as
well as those issues relating to implementation that require no negotiations but can be handled in the
course of the customary activities of WTO bodies, through the provision of technical assistance or by
clarifying or interpreting existing agreements.WT/GC/W/260
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ELEMENTS OF A MINISTERIAL DECLARATION ON A
PROGRAMME FOR NEGOTIATIONS
1. Preamble
...
2. Objectives
 Negotiations shall aim to:
 
- foster economic growth through further trade liberalization;
- promote sustainable development;
- strengthen the rules-based WTO system;
- increase the responsiveness of the WTO system to the global economic evolution;
- better integrate developing countries and countries in transition;
- foster coherence at the national and international level between trade policies and other
policies interacting with trade.
3. General principles governing negotiations
- Conduct of negotiations in an open manner so as to ensure the effective participation of
all Members.
- Single undertaking.
- As part of the single undertaking, possibility to apply early results provisionally until the
conclusion of negotiations.
- Take into account the particular situation of least developed countries.
- Principle of differential and more favourable treatment for developing countries.
- Recognition of autonomous trade liberalisation measures.
- Duration [3 years].
4. Standstill
…WT/GC/W/260
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5. Substantive issues
(a) Market access
(i) Agriculture
Negotiations shall aim, based on Article 20 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, to
continue the process of reform of trade in agriculture through further reductions of export subsidiesand domestic support, as well as further market access commitments, with the long-term objective to
establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system, fully recognizing the multifunctional
character of agriculture.
(ii) Services
Negotiations shall aim, based on Article XIX of the General Agreement on Trade in Services,
to achieve a higher level of liberalization of trade in services.  Such negotiations shall be directed to
the reduction or elimination of the adverse effects on trade in services of measures as a means of
providing effective market access.  The negotiations  shall take place with a view to promoting the
interests of all participants on a mutually advantageous basis and to securing an overall balance of
rights and obligations.
(iii) Industrial tariffs and non-tariff measures
Negotiations shall aim to eliminate tariffs for at  least [X%] of tariff lines in the industrial
sector and to substantially reduce tariffs for the remaining tariff lines, including the elimination or
substantial reduction of tariff peaks, tariff escalation and the gap between bound and applied tariffs.
The scope of tariff bindings shall significantly be expanded among all Members.  In addition, the
initial negotiating rights concept shall be reviewed.  Negotiations shall also aim to undertake a furtherstep in the progressive elimination of non-tariff measures.
(iv) Trade facilitation
Negotiations shall aim to set up an effective and adequate multilateral framework of
guidelines, rules and disciplines based on the existing WTO fundamental principles, in order tooptimize the trade benefits achieved by lowering customs duties and to reduce the distortions and
impediments to international trade generated by diverging and less efficient procedures and
requirements in trade in goods and related services.  Such negotiations shall duly take into account the
work already undertaken on trade facilitation in relevant WTO bodies and in other international fora.
(v) [Public procurement]
[…]
(b) Responsiveness of the system
(i) Trade and investment
Negotiations shall aim to establish a multilateral framework of principles, rules and
disciplines for international investment with the overall objective to increase legal security and
predictability for governments and investors, as well  as to favour international flows of investment,
taking into account the work already undertaken in the WTO Working Party on the Relationship
between Trade and Investment.  Due consideration shall be given to the WTO Agreement on Trade-
Related Investment Measures with a view to supplement the list of measures which are inconsistentWT/GC/W/260
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with WTO rules. The negotiations shall also ensu re the coherence between the multilateral framework
on investment and the relevant WTO agreements like the General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS Agreement).
(ii) Trade and competition
[…]
(c) Issues of coherence
(i) Trade and environment
Negotiations shall aim to strengthen the coherence between trade and environmental policies
(i) by clarifying the relationship between the multilateral trading system and multilateral
environmental agreements through the establishment of appropriate principles, rules or procedures
and (ii) by elaborating instruments to take better account of basic principles of environmental
protection and of current issues stemming from the interdependencies between trade and environment.
(ii) Trade and finance
Negotiations shall aim to further develop understandings and arrangements to enhance the
contribution of the WTO to achieving greater coherence of global economic policy making in the
context of the evolving international financial architecture.
(iii) Trade and Development
(iv) Transparency
[…]
6. Organizations of the negotiations
7. Participation
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