. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/19 
1 December 2009 
 (09-6086) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   French 
 
  
FRANCE 
 
Statement by Mme Anne-Marie Idrac
 
Minister of Foreign Trade  
   The WTO is to be commended for the resu lts it has achieved together with other 
organizations in responding to the economic crisis. 
 
 The WTO has lived up to the mandate it received to avert a rise in protectionism in spite of a 
particularly difficult economic environment.   In more general terms, the world is seeking a new regulatory framework.  
 All in all, the WTO has acquired greater leg itimacy as a result.  It  should therefore start 
working on three priority tasks
 in order to help resolve the crisis and contribute to sustainable growth 
in a multilateral framework.  1. An ambitious and balanced  outcome to the Doha Round is a key objective. 
 The European Union has made very significan t concessions, especially in the agricultural 
sphere.   Nonetheless, many issues still remain outstandi ng in the draft modalities before us today, 
particularly as regards market access.  We are also awaiting progress on other topics, including tangible gains in services and on geographical indications. 
 
 There is still a great deal of work to be done  which will require commitm ent on the part of all 
the partners.  We put our trust in the negotiators and in Pascal Lamy.  2. Preparing the post-crisis period also means placing regulation once again at the heart of the 
WTO so as to provide a fair framework for trade. 
 If the crisis has not led to a spate of protec tionist measures, this is because of commitments 
undertaken in the WTO.  But the crisis has also de monstrated that discrimination is at its strongest 
precisely where WTO rules are lacking.  
 Full trade liberalization cannot be achieved unless we are capable of addressing at least 
two issues:  
(a) Access to government procurement, which accounts for 15 per cent of GDP in the 
developed countries and for 20 per cent in the developing countries; WT/MIN(09)/ST/19 
Page 2  
 
__________ (b) investment, in light of the considerable increase in foreign direct investment, which 
has become a new form of internationa lization of enterprises that extends beyond 
trade in goods or services. 
 Failure to address issues of this kind would weaken the Organization over time and its ability 
to tackle new forms of trade barriers. 
 
3. Lastly, preparing for the post-crisis period means pursuing our efforts to achieve better 
integration of the developing countries in global  trade and to find better ways of addressing the 
demands of sustainable development. 
 From now on, the WTO Members can engage in su stained efforts to build up trade capacity in 
the developing countries.  My thanks go to the Director-General for provi ding time to discuss the 
Integrated Framework during this Conference.   France will take part in the collective effort in  favour of LDCs.  It pledges today to contribute 
1 million euros a year over three years to the Enha nced Integrated Framework and the Doha Fund, 
that is, a total of 6 million euros. 
  Contributing to development also means - as President Sarkozy forcefully argued - ensuring 
that globalization does not drag countries any lower but on the contrary raises them up . 
  We need to find the right way to address th e interactions between trade and sustainable 
development questions, that is:  the climate issue;  social standards,  access to resources and water;  
not to mention food security.  The volatility of global, and especially agricultural, markets must prompt us to think about a new regulatory framework.   Turning to social standards, France suggests a more sustained dialogue between the WTO and 
the ILO.  The fact that the ILO Director-General participated in the proceedings of the G-20 is an 
initial step towards involving this orga nization in global economic governance. 
  As regards the climate issue, the Copenhagen objective is for all countries to engage in 
combating climate change.  The WTO has its role to play (a) in heightening awareness of cleaner 
technologies;  and (b) in preventing the emergenc e of "pollution havens" due to carbon leakage, 
against which mechanisms will have to be devised. 
  Lastly, France supports the idea of a world environment organization, with which the WTO should maintain links.  
 To conclude, my hope, on France's behalf, is th at this Conference will contribute to building a 
stronger WTO:   - On the one hand, by sending out a signal in favour of an ambitious and balanced 
outcome to the Doha Development Round; 
 
 - and on the other, by initiating a debate on the challenges facing the WTO as it 
prepares for the post-crisis period, whic h in France's view call for a stronger 
regulatory role and more sustained di alogue with the other international 
organizations. 
 
 Our Conference must send out a message of confidence and hope, by showing that the 
multilateral trading system is prepared to tack le the imbalances of the twenty-first century.