. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/131 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6145) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
BULGARIA 
 
Statement by HE Mr Rumen Ovcharov
 
Minister of Economy and Energy  
  
 On behalf of the Bulgarian delegation I wo uld like to express to the authorities of the 
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region our appreci ation for the excellent organization of the 
Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference.  We also thank the WTO Secretariat for its efforts in preparing 
this event.   I would also like to express our warm welcome to the new Members Tonga and to Saudi Arabia.  
 This Ministerial Conference comes at a moment  which is crucial for the continuation of the 
Doha Round and its conclusion in 2006.  With the adoption of the July Package in 2004 and in the 
past few months some progress has been made and useful momentum has been gained.  Now, it is 
important to preserve and add to this momentum.  In  our view, this can only be done if we maintain 
the delicate balance of interests, which made it po ssible to adopt the Doha Ministerial Declaration. 
 
 In Doha, Bulgaria strongly supported the focus on development which is at the heart of this 
round of multilateral trade negotiations.  Today, we  are ready to support a substantive development 
package, as proposed by the European Union.  Some  of the immediate compone nts of such a package, 
which can be considered now – here in Hong Kong or immediately after – should be the quota- and 
duty-free access of products from least developed count ries, other aspects of special and differential 
treatment of least developed countries, and the cotton issue. 
  An important development aspect of the D oha Agenda are the implementation issues.  
Bulgaria – together with the European Union and a remarkable number of both developing and 
developed countries – attaches special importance to one particular implementation issue – the 
extension of the additional protection for geogra phical indications under Article 23 of the TRIPS 
Agreement to products other than wines and spirits .  It is one of the two implementation issues 
specifically mentioned in the Doha Ministerial Declaration and it has gained the support of the 
majority of WTO Members.  In our view, and in  line with the Doha Mandate, a decision on the 
extension of the additional protection for geographical  indications has to precede the next steps to be 
taken in the other areas of the negotiations. 
  Agriculture is considered by many Members as central in these negotiations.  The main area 
in which progress was achieved through the July Package in 2004 and subsequently in 2005 – when 
the European Union offered significant concessions in all three pillars of the negotiations – was 
agriculture.  Nevertheless, there are important topics, like monopoly rights of state trading enterprises, 
non-emergency food aid and others, which need to be  developed further, in order to achieve the 
necessary balance of interests.  Fo r Bulgaria the agricultural sector is extremely sensitive.  In the 
negotiations on agriculture, we are guided by the princi ple that we need to en sure a package in which WT/MIN(05)/ST/131 
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 the reductions of tariffs and domestic support to be undertaken would be balanced by sufficient 
flexibilities for sensitive products and improved market access for our own exports.   It should also be borne in mind that agricultu re is not the only area of the Doha Development 
Agenda and we have to ensure comparable progress in the other fields in order to arrive at a balanced 
outcome, in line with the Doha Mandate.  We suppo rt the position of the European Union that we 
should adopt a broader and more inclusive approach  to all aspects of the negotiations.  Industrial 
products and services are dominant in countries'  exports.  Therefore we are convinced that 
negotiations should be directed in a way leading to further market access improvement for trade in 
non-agricultural products, the elimination of ex isting non-tariff barriers and the expansion of 
commitments in various services sectors.  We need  modalities in NAMA and services that will lead to 
improved market access and we need to put into the focus of the negotiations other important issues, 
such as trade facilitation, rules, etc.   We are committed to reach an agreement at th is Conference on appropriate ways to progress 
on all issues under the Work Programme of the Doha Development Agenda, which would enable us to 
conclude successfully this Round of negotiations by  the end of 2006.  We believe that all WTO 
Members have to work together towards achieving a balanced outcome of the Ministerial Conference, 
acceptable to all participants, developing and developed. 
  As Bulgaria emphasized at the moment of th e adoption of the July Package, each Member 
should be able to find a positive balance for itself in each area of the negotiations and in the final 
package of the single undertaking.  We still believe  that, at this stage of the negotiations, it is 
important that the balance between the interests of different participants be maintained and reflected 
in the Ministerial text, and our reservations, expressed in July 2004 (as reflected in WT/GC/M/87, §§ 102-103) continue to be valid. 
 
 At this Ministerial Conference we should use th e opportunity to consolidate progress, in order 
not to lose what has been achieved so far and to prepare the ground for quick movement next year.  
We expect positive solutions so that the negotiati ons can deliver the results foreseen in Doha. 
 
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