With only a few weeks remaining until a draft agreement is expected, the chair of the WTO negotiating group dealing with subsidies said he needed a period for “reflections”, while nations describing themselves as “friends of the fish” called for ambitious rules limiting fisheries subsidy payments.
The chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules, which covers anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures – including fisheries subsidies – as well as regional trade agreements, said progress the latest weeks had been “incremental”.
The Doha Development Round, aiming for a new WTO agreement on rules for global trade, commenced in 2001, but is presently stalled after the latest round of negotiations broke down in 2008.
The process is till proceeding in working committees, however, and the groups have been asked to submit drafts by Easter this year.
The chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules, Ambassador Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, now said that the ability to move forward on fisheries subsidies restraints depended greatly on progress in the overall Doha Round negotiations. Those talks have slowed down notably the closer to Easter they have been getting.
He added that he may still be asked to present a text by that deadline, and that he now needed time for reflection on possible ways to bridge the differences, meaning that there would be no new meetings in April.
Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of Argentina, Australia, Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and the US, Ambassador David Walker of New Zealand said that the “friends of fish” nations expect ambitious rules limiting fisheries subsidy payments to be a key result of the rules negotiations.
“The WTO’s credibility on trade and environment issues is at stake here,” Walker said. “A weak outcome calls into question the future ability of the WTO to tackle other trade and environment issues of global importance.”
Pointing to the recently released “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2010” FAO report, which states that 85 percent of global fish stocks are either fully or overexploited, he stressed that members should not let lack of progress in other parts of the Round deter them from pushing ahead on this issue.
The group’s statement called for a strong prohibition and strong disciplines on fisheries subsidies, after weeks of attempts by countries such as China, Brazil, Korea, and Japan to introduce various exceptions.
The “Friends of fish” initiative was praised by environmental NGOs.
“Today’s call clearly demonstrates that there is strong commitment for fisheries subsidies rules that serve global interests and not only protect narrow self concerns,” said Courtney Sakai, senior campaign director for the Washington-based green group Oceana.
“The WTO has a real and tangible opportunity to reduce global overfishing. The question is if it will seize this chance.”