. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/84 
16 December 2005 
 (05-6070) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
NETHERLANDS 
 
Statement by HE Mr Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs  
   This is a wake-up call.  50 hours from now this  meeting will be history.  However, for this 
meeting to become historical, a lot of work  still has to be done.  Let us make progress. 
 
 Market access is the key to a successful round in  particular for developing countries.  In this 
round the EU has already delivered and is willing to go  even further.  But there has to be both balance 
and ambition on the part of all
 players on all  issues.  Some of you have asked for facts on the table:  
I will give you some facts.  
• On market access:  the EU today is the biggest importer of pr oducts of developing 
countries.  Bigger than the other developed countries combined. 
 
• On export competition:  the EU has decr eased her export subsidies from 10 billion 
euros per year in 1992 to 3.8 billion euros per year today.  Further development on export competition can only happen in full parallelism, with disciplines for food aid, state trading enterprises and export credits.  Only then can we set an end date for 
export subsidies. 
 
• On development:  already in 2001 the EU moved towards duty and quota free market 
access for all least developed countries by implementing 'everything but arms'. 
 
• On development aid:  the EU (Commissi on and member States), will deliver on the 
international agreed 0.7 per cent GNP targ et for development (ODA) in 2015;  by 
2010 the ODA-level of 0.5 per cent will have been reached. 
 
• When exports from the least developed countries to US would increase by 50 per 
cent, the new total would only add up to 3 days of total US imports including oil. 
  In this year where we have seen major efforts on development, both by the G-8 and the 
UN summit in September, there can be no complacency and no foot-dragging.  We MUST do it and 
we MUST do it in the next 50 hours.  Let us decide on duty and quota-free access for all
 LDCs on all  
products and irrespective of the single undertaking.   Deciding on a specific development package for LDCs ties in nicely with another important 
issue mentioned by many Ministers:  Flexibility
 to be able to get a result that will last for the next 
15 to 20 years.  For this reason, we will have to take into account both prospects for the future as well 
as developments we cannot foresee.  The ever incr easing speed of change in the world demands both 
flexibility and adaptability of the system.  This  requires ownership of developed and developing WT/MIN(05)/ST/84 
Page 2  
 
 countries.  Matching ambition, balance and flexibility may require setting out a further working 
programme that goes beyond the outcome of the DDA.   So we will have to give ourselves clear t asks for the future;  a working programme based 
upon the DDA premises;  further systemic improvement  and further liberalization towards fair trade. 
 
 Building upon present work,  preparing for tomorrow . 
  To conclude, allow me to go back to the here and now.  
 What I would consider to be good results for this week
 are the following three points: 
  1. Real steps towards effective market access on agriculture, industrial products and 
services. 
 
 2. Free market access for all products for all LDCs now. 
  3. Full modalities before the summer of 2006.   And foremost and above all we need to deliver on a real
 development package that will 
deliver on the promise of development ensh rined in the Doha Development Agenda. 
 
 Sorry for my wake-up call, but for the benef it for all of us, let's rise to the occasion!!! 
 
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