Minister for Trade and Commerce, Michael Ahern seeks assurances from Commissioner Mandelson on WTO talks

At his request, Minister for Trade and Commerce Michael Ahern met today (Friday 14^th October 2005) in Brussels with Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and sought assurances that Ireland’s strategic concerns are being fully taken into account in the negotiations leading up to the December Trade Summit in Hong Kong.

Commissioner Mandelson is the lead EU negotiator in the talks currently taking place in advance of Hong Kong, at which it is hoped that substantial progress can be made on the Doha Development Agenda (DDA).

Minister Ahern said: “I was anxious to get a first hand report from Peter on the current state of play following his intense negotiations this week with WTO Ministers in Geneva.”

A key issue for Ireland, and one which Minister Ahern conveyed to the Commissioner, was that the Commission adhere to the mandate given to it by the EU Member States in these negotiations, particularly as it impacts on agriculture. On this point, Minister Ahern stressed that the EU has already made a substantial contribution to a successful outcome in Hong Kong with the reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003.

Minister Ahern reiterated Ireland’s position as one of strong support for a successful outcome in Hong Kong across the full DDA agenda.

Commissioner Mandelson confirmed to Minister Ahern that the EU would not be the ‘sole banker’ for the DDA Round. The EU would negotiate up to the level of the agreed reforms of the CAP to 2013. It was now time to cash in our CAP Reform ‘chips’ in return for better access for EU manufacturing and services firms, especially in emerging economies.

Speaking after the meeting Minister Ahern said: “I was reassured by the responses of Commissioner Mandelson to my concerns. I will be reporting back to Cabinet on my meeting today and will reiterate Ireland’s position at a special meeting of the General Affairs and External Council next week in Luxembourg.”

ENDS/TC181