WT/MIN(13)/ST/80  
5 December 2013  
(13-6752)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: French  
 
  STATEMENT BY H.E. MR BERTRAND DE CROMBRUGGHE DE PICQUENDAELE 
AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE 
BELGIUM  
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to the country that has welcomed us so warmly. 
On behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Didier Reynders, I thank Indonesia for the generosity it has shown towards us. May this generosity reflect on this gathering and help it to achieve convergence on an agreement that we all 
so desperately need. 
I would also like to pay tribute to the remarkable  work of our Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo. 
What he has achieved since his recent appointment is impressive and for this he should 
be thanked. We are lucky to have his expert leadership. 
To establish where exactly we stand in the negotiations, we need to be aware of where we have 
come from. In 2001 we launched a Doha Development Agenda conceived as a quantitative and 
qualitative leap in terms of trade opportunities, with a view, above all, to improving the integration 
of developing countries into international trade. 
The overall objective has so far eluded us, but we still believe in it, we remain committed to it, 
and our work here today is entirely devoted to its achievement. While the Bali Package may seem 
like a modest step, it is one that is vital fo r reviving the momentum of the WTO negotiations. 
The Package sends out all the strong signals n eeded to promote development, particularly 
as it relates to the poorest countries. The monitoring mechanism, the simplification of rules 
of origin, the services waiver, duty-free and qu ota-free access to developed country markets, 
and the cotton component are all signs of the priority we have set for ourselves. 
The same can be said for agriculture. There are those who believe they should have the freedom 
to provide agricultural supports, while others fe ar the trade distortions that such supports may 
cause. The compromise on the table establishes a balance between openness to dialogue and the preservation of a minimum number of the disciplines  achieved at such a high price. This debate 
is as old as the GATT and now the WTO, and stem s from differing views on how to ensure food 
security. The issue will not be resolved by imposing unilateral points of view. 
Turning now to trade facilitation. Here again there is common ground. We must meet the current 
needs of international trade, which has become a key ingredient in the production of the goods 
and services that find their way on to our markets, wherever such production takes place. 
Time, flexibility, efficiency and accuracy requ irements mean that border procedures must 
be as streamlined as possible. International economic integration must be enhanced, 
as experience shows that it generates prosperity for those wishing to be a part of it. And it is no 
coincidence that, here too, priority is given to the needs of developing countries that want to develop their capacities. The message is clear: this is a common undertaking for which donors are prepared to mobilize, especially since developing countries provide opportunities from which 
markets stand to benefit. WT/MIN(13)/ST/80 
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  As I have said before, we all desperately need an agreement. Indeed, the danger is that we lose 
sight of the common interests invested in the WTO. While our economies become increasingly 
interdependent, while poverty continues to exist in far too many regions and value chains become more and more structured, are we going to let this Ministerial Conference end without rising to the 
challenge of establishing appropriate policies and rules of play? Is our message to be that 
the Doha negotiating agenda is obsolete? Like most Members here, we think that this would be a serious mistake and that we would all, collectively, be the real losers. An effective WTO that 
promotes the rule of law in trade matters is the best bulwark against protectionism and selfish 
particularities. Belgium is firmly in favour of such a WTO, and like the vast majority of the Members here calls for the Bali package to be adopted right away.  
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