On his official visit to Thailand, Franz Fischler, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, emphasised the importance of Thai-EU relations and how pertinent cooperation was to achieve an agreement in the Doha Development Round.
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“Thailand and the EU both have a real interest to make it a success. If our commitments made in the Doha Development Agenda lead to a successful conclusion, the multilateral trade system will definitely benefit. All WTO members will gain trading opportunities, and our bilateral relations will flourish within the improved WTO framework. Europe stands ready to take the lead”, said Commissioner Fischler. “Opening up trade should create opportunities”, stated Commissioner Fischler.
“But this should not lead to a situation where legitimate interests of the society, such as the environment or food safety are ignored. Results must be fair and equitable for all and have to yield a clear benefit for the developing countries. Unlike the US, the EU is determined to set an example. My recent proposals to review the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) demonstrate that supporting farmers with minimal effects on international trade is possible. The proposed decoupling of direct income support payments from production would be totally non-trade distorting”, he explained.
“The EU supports further liberalisation but only if all countries move in the same direction and if also the developing countries can profit from enhanced trade. The EU is also in favour of further reductions in export subsidies but only if other trade distorting export supports used by other trading partners are put under equivalent WTO discipline”, he said.
He rejected criticism about the EU’s supposed protectionism towards imports from developing countries. “The EU decided to completely liberalise its markets for all products but arms from the 48 poorest countries in the world. We are still waiting that the other developed countries follow our example. The EU is the largest importer from developing countries and imports more agricultural goods from the developing countries than the US, Canada, Japan and Australia taken together. The EU also advocates further improvements in the conditions related to trade preferences and also suggests that all forms of assistance to developing countries should be intensified”, he pointed out.
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By GlobalDataFischler also touched upon the EU’s history of reforming its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). “We have given a clear signal that it is prepared to reduce distortions of trade and to run a sustainable agricultural policy “, he said. “The further reform step that I have proposed just two weeks ago would make Europe’s agricultural policy more sustainable and less trade distorting than ever”, said Fischler. “Our rural development policy takes various interests of Europe’s citizens into account, such as preservation of environment, investments in the modernisation of holdings, and the creation of alternative sources of income. We want to continue the reduction of the guaranteed prices for cereals, including rice and make necessary adaptations in other market sectors.”, clarified the Commissioner.
Fischler went on to welcome the fact that Thailand supports the EU initiative within the WTO to establish a multilateral register for Geographic Indications for regional quality products. “Thailand as “the kitchen of the world” offers like Europe an enormous diversity of products and cuisines. It is in the interest of Thailand and the EU that this diversity is respected, denomination of origin can not be pirated. Therefore we need a better protected in the WTO.”
