. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/48 
1 December 2009 
 (09-6124) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   English 
 
  
GREECE 
 
Statement by HE Mr Giannos Dimitrios
 
Director-General, Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping  
   On behalf of the Greek Government, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Director-General and the Chairman of the Genera l Council of the WTO, for their many efforts and 
their outstanding work, towards a successful out come of the Seventh Ministerial Conference. 
  The present Ministerial Conference constitutes a great opportunity to reconfirm our political will to work together, in order to strengthen the mu ltilateral trade system, with a view to promoting 
sustainable development and growth.  
 During 2009 we have witnessed a fast-paced downturn in the global economy, which has led 
to a sharp drop in trade flows, slippages in prot ectionism, as well as, a severe drop in employment 
rates.  In light of the challenges we are presently facing, it is important to  find global solutions to 
global problems.  
 Greece believes that the main contribution to recovery, growth and de velopment will be the 
conclusion of the DDA in 2010, on the basis of the progress already made.  Any further delay in the 
completion of this Round penalizes the poorest Me mbers among us, particularly under the present 
economic circumstances.   This Ministerial Conference is taking place, just one week ahead of the Conference in 
Copenhagen, reminding us of the importance of collec tively addressing another global issue:  that of 
climate change.  A multilateral agreement to combat climate change remains one of our key objectives.  However, a full discussion on trade and climate change should await the outcome of 
Copenhagen.  
 Fighting poverty and building an inclusive wo rld is another challenge the international 
community faces today.  The integration of develo ping and least developed countries in a globalized 
economic system, as well as, their full participation in strengthened international trade architecture, 
must be one of our priorities.  We believe that th e current DDA package has, already, a strong built-in 
development dimension, giving us one more reason to conclude the Round. 
 
 Regarding discussions on reviewing WTO functioning, we consider the proposal on strengthening the WTO positive and we find merit in wo rking further on it.  In particular, we consider 
the suggestions made on how to improve regular wo rk of the WTO Committees very interesting, and 
in the right direction.  We, also, favour incr eased transparency on tr ade agreements, whether 
reciprocal or preferential.  In this regard, we are of  the view that there is a need to look more closely 
at RTAs and their impact on the multilateral tradi ng system and find appropriate solutions, preferably 
within the framework of the Negotiating Group. WT/MIN(09)/ST/48 
Page 2  
 
   In conclusion, we consider the present Minister ial Conference, as an excellent opportunity to 
review the full range of the WTO's responsibilities, to learn more from the past and shape a more 
stable international trade system.  By working together and with mutual understanding, we can 
succeed to the benefit of all WTO Members.  
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