. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/27 
16 December 2011  
 
(11-6577) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   French 
 
  
FRANCE 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Pierre Lellouche 
Secretary of State for Foreign Trade 
  
In these times of crisis, the commitments made by  the G-20 have enabled us to avert attempts 
at withdrawal into protectionism in spite of th e difficulties encountered in the trade negotiations.  
I wish to take this opportunity to commend the quality of the work done by the World Trade 
Organization and to urge that we turn  our collective gaze towards the future. 
 
1. Firstly, I wish to underscore the work alr eady accomplished, which bears witness to the 
legitimacy and vitality of the WTO 
 France welcomes the accession of Russia to  the WTO as well as the arrival of Vanuatu, 
Samoa and Montenegro among the Members of th is Organization.  These new accessions will not 
only be beneficial to the new Members but will also  mark the beginning of a "win-win" dynamic:  the 
new Members will benefit from the me chanisms established in the WTO since its creation and that of 
the GATT.  At the same time, the current Members will benefit from trade stability with these new 
Members thanks to a rules-based system.  As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of China's accession 
to the WTO, we cannot but recognize the collectiv e benefits provided by an expanding multilateral 
trading system in which each party complies with its commitments.  France hopes that the WTO will 
rapidly be opened up to the Balkan countries and to  the Arab Muslim countries that do not yet belong 
to the Organization.   In these times of crisis, I should also like to commend the difficult work conducted by the 
WTO.  We are grateful to you, Mr Director-G eneral, dear Pascal Lamy, for your personal 
involvement, at the G-20's request, in the monitoring of protectionist practices since 2008.  The recovery of world growth and the developm ent of WTO Member countries depend on active 
global trade based on fair conditions of competition, to which our Organization makes a decisive contribution, in particular thanks  to its Dispute Settlement Body. 
 
2. Secondly, France calls for continuing efforts in favour of the least developed countries 
 France deplores the fact that over this past year the Doha Round nego tiations have failed to 
deliver the decisive outcomes we expected.  However, this does not mean that the 
crucial development component of the Doha mandate should be left by the wayside.  We must all 
pursue our efforts to reach an agreement on mech anisms in favour of the LDCs, such as those 
providing for duty-free and quota-free exports by those countries.  Commitments have been 
undertaken to make headway in this direction in the services sector.  Like services exports, exports of 
goods and merchandize are conducive to development.  France therefore calls for the implementation 
of the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, which provides for duty-free quota-free access for at 
least 97 per cent of products originating from all LDCs.  Many countries have already done so, and WT/MIN(11)/ST/27 
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  those of the European Union in particular, with the "Everything but Arms" mechanism.  I urge 
countries that have not yet done so to make  this effort in favour of development. 
  I would also briefly like to touch upon a topic which will substan tially contribute to the 
economic development of all Members of this Organization:  trade facilitation.  This issue is one of 
the rare topics on which we have consensus in the negotiations.  Trade facilitation deserves the closest 
attention and efforts from all quarters must be inte nsified in order to reach an agreement without 
delay.  3. Lastly, I would urge that we look to the futu re in a world confronted by major challenges 
 The crisis we are experiencing is a perfect example of the extent to which the world 
increasingly needs organizations such as the WTO to  guarantee the rule of law in international 
relations.  Indeed, our societies, our enterprises, ha ve a critical need for stability and security in the 
face of the proliferation of stakeholders and the em ergence of global issues.  We need to address and 
improve global governance.  No effort must be spared to achieve a system of rules that is in the 
general interest.  The WTO must therefore tackle these new topics relating to international trade and 
contribute to stronger regulation at the global le vel.  And here I am thinking of sustainable 
development, social standards, access to resources,  in particular energy resources, the impact of 
exchange rates on international trade and natu rally food security.  In this connection, 
the G-20 undertook at the Cannes Summit to lift all rest rictions on agricultural exports in favour of the 
World Food Programme.  I can only urge countries to  make this commitment a reality and especially 
the G-20 countries that are the depositaries of this undertaking. 
  To conclude, I consider, on France's behalf, th at it is by tackling the new challenges that the 
WTO will increase its legitimacy.  It is by working to achieve stronger regulation of global issues that 
it will, once again, demonstrate its effectiveness. 
 
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