. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/153 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6173) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
POLAND 
 
Statement by HE Mr Piotr Wozniak
 
Minister for Economy  
  
 The Polish delegation wishes to express its deep est gratitude to the Authorities and people of 
Hong Kong for their hospitality.  We thank His Excellency Minister John Tsang, Secretary for 
Commerce, Industry and Technology of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the 
People's Republic of China, for his personal e ngagement and support for the multilateral trading 
system and the success of the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference.  We would also like to convey our 
thanks to the Hong Kong Organizational Committee and to the WTO Secretariat for the enormous 
effort involved in the organization of such a great venture.  
 For my country, an open and WTO-based trade re gime has been in recent years an essential 
engine of growth.  It provided also major syst emic support for economic and structural policies. 
  It is also true, that such wide exposure to  external competition may cause, as it did, economic 
dislocations and difficulties experienced by many local businesses.  However, for as long as such 
competition respects multilaterally agreed rules, we re cognize its intrinsic value for greater efficiency 
of the national economy as a whole.   Poland recognizes successful conclusion of  the Doha Development Round as an important 
step towards further development of the multilateral trading system.  According to the name of this 
Round the development dimension should be strongly underlined and treated as an element 
guaranteeing the final successful outcome of these negotiations. 
  We consequently stress the importance of th e parallel mode of conducting the DDA talks in 
all negotiating areas.  Additionally the core rule of the "single undertaking" must be preserved. 
 
 My delegation welcomes the draft ministerial text presented by the Director-General of the 
WTO, Mr Pascal Lamy.  The draft contains many elements with which my delegation may agree and 
some others where we have some reservations.  Nonetheless, Poland recognizes the draft as a useful 
base for further work.  
 We have stressed many times that the final outco me of the Round must be balanced.  This is a 
precondition that requires a significant element of flexibility from all WTO Members, including the EU and its 25 member States.  We expect however other WTO partners to present a flexible approach 
and ability to go further in their possible concessions in all the main three pillars of these negotiations 
– namely NAMA, services and agriculture.  
 As for negotiations in the field of agriculture , Poland would like to stress the importance of 
this sector.  I would also like to underline that the recent enlargement of the EU has brought a new 
dimension to European agriculture.  Poland is one of those new member States that face many WT/MIN(05)/ST/153 
Page 2  
 
 challenges in this field, related to:  rural deve lopment, unemployment, viability of rural areas.  
Therefore we believe that some key principles should be followed in the negotiations:  first – there is 
a need to provide balanced outcome of agricultu re negotiations both in the main three pillars 
(domestic support, export competition, market ac cess) as well as between them;  second – it is 
necessary for non-trade concerns  to be on our negotiating age nda and all currently existing 
instruments in the market  access pillar such as special safeguards  (SSG) and entry price should be 
included in the negotiations, and third – rec ognizing the necessity for reduction commitments 
sensitivity of some particular sectors of agri culture market should be taken into account. 
  As to access to non-agricultural goods market , the Polish delegation supports the idea of a 
reduction of tariff rates and elimination of tariff pe aks.  Poland is of the opinion that an ambitious 
non-linear Swiss formula should be the basis for nego tiations in this field, as only such a modality 
will permit to balance obligations and advantages of a ll WTO Members.  We can also agree that at the 
present stage priority should be given to reaching an agreement on an ambitious formula rather than 
on supplementary sectoral initiatives.  We support however the idea of having additional, sectoral 
approach within the scope of NAMA negotiations as an important factor for creating better export 
opportunities for significant number of products.   Poland supports a further liberalization of trade in services.  Negotiations in this field should 
be based on a principle of a gradual liberalization with a consideration of national policy aims, the 
level of development and the size of economies of  all GATS Members both in the general approach 
and in individual sectors. 
  Poland supports the development dimension given to the New Round by the Ministerial 
Conference at Doha, taking into consideration the needs and interests of developing countries, and 
first of all, of the least-developed countries.  Poland is also for strengthening and precise formulating 
of all decisions concerning special and differentia l treatment (S&D) in WTO Agreements in such a 
way that would make them more effective on the one hand and would not dist urb the delicate balance 
of rights and obligations of Members achieved afte r the Uruguay Round on the other.  Therefore, 
additional special concessions and privileges s hould be granted in proportion to the economic 
development level and development needs of beneficiary countries. 
 
 Bearing all that in mind we strongly support the idea of inclusion in the Declaration's text the 
strong and clear development aspect of the whole R ound.  We think that the Ministerial Declaration 
text should consist the developmen t package proposed by the European Commission, including many 
important solutions to the benefit of the LDCs.  Poland strongly supported elaboration of the package 
and putting it into operation. 
 
 We are for a continuation of negotiations in  the sphere of trade and environment on the 
grounds of the WTO multilateral trading system on one hand and multilateral ecological agreements 
on the other.   Poland welcomes continuous enlargement of the WTO as a testimony to the vitality of 
multilateral trading system.  The recent accession of Saudi Arabia and Tonga has been a spectacularly 
momentous step.  We shall be pleased to welc ome Ukraine, the Russian Federation and other 
candidates as soon as they complete their accession nego tiations.  We hope that this will happen in the 
near future.  
 Finally, the Polish delegation wishes to declare its determination to participate actively in the 
present Conference and to work on constructive pr oposals and decisions, the purpose of which will be 
a further strengthening of the multilateral trading sy stem for the benefit of countries represented here. 
 
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