WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1215/97 by Wolfgang KREISSL-DÖRFLER to the Commission. WTO action plan for the least developed countries
Date: 1997-04-07
Institutions: European Parliament, KREISSL-DOERFLER
Subjects: World Trade Organisation, action programme, generalised preferences, international cooperation, international trade, least-developed country, market access, technical cooperation













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91997E1215

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1215/97 by Wolfgang KREISSL-DÖRFLER to the Commission. WTO action plan for the least developed countries  


Official Journal C 367 , 04/12/1997 P. 0099 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1215/97 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (V) to the Commission (7 April 1997)Subject: WTO action plan for the least developed countriesHow will the Commission implement the WTO action plan for the least developed countries, particularly the sections on market access and the high-level meeting on technical cooperation?Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (12 May 1997)During the World trade organisation (WTO) ministerial conference in Singapore, the Commission and the Member States have actively pursued the question of the marginalisation of the least developed countries (LLDCs) in international trade and in the multilateral trading system. As a result, the ministerial declaration recognises the need for measures to be taken in favour of these countries and gives the basis for further progress.A high level meeting, most probably by the end of June, will focus on an integrated approach on technical assistance. Preparatory work has already started in Geneva. The secretaries of the WTO, the United Nations conference on trade and development (UNCTAD) and International trade centre (ITC) are closely collaborating while the World bank and International monetary fund are also in the picture. The Commission is participating in the preparatory work, and seeking the establishment of a well-focused and balanced agenda that will ensure a successful outcome of the meeting. The high level meeting gives an opportunity for announcing initiatives for market access on condition that the whole operation does not become a negotiating forum.The WTO action plan in favour of LLDCs gives a series of suggestions for further improvements on market access. The preferential access already given by the Community to the LLDCs could be improved through proposals that will be politically meaningful but also economically significant. The Commission considers that in order to ensure participation from other WTO members, the Community should take the lead within the committee on trade and development in Geneva.Thus the Commission approved on 16 April 1997 a communication to the Council aiming to stem the marginalisation of the world's poorest countries from the benefits of the international trading system. The Commission suggests improving the access of LLDCs to exports in three steps. Firstly, trade preferences given to all LLDCs could be increased to match the best deal available under the Lomé Convention or the Generalised system of preferences (GSP), secondly, Community origin rules could be applied more flexibly and thirdly, all developed countries as well as the stronger developing countries should match these efforts. The strategy would build on initiatives agreed by WTO countries with strong Community support at their recent Singapore ministerial meeting.