Trade ministers aim to breathe new life into stalled Doha trade talks

TRADE ministers will meet in New Delhi today and tomorrow to inject new impetus into the faltering Doha round trade talks in the run-up to a G20 summit in Pittsburgh, USA, later this month.

The aim, according to host India, is to re-energise the Doha talks, now in their eighth year, and set a timetable for completion.

However, attempts are likely to be made to narrow differences over issues such as tariff protection for poor farmers and duty elimination for certain industrial goods.

India is keen to get some momentum into the negotiations, as the US and Europe return from the summer break, in the run-up to the G20 summit.

However, a conclusion to the negotiations that would cut agriculture subsidies and tariffs on industrial goods is not expected before a new European Commission is appointed later this year.

Negotiators failed to overcome a clash in Geneva, Switzerland, last July between the US and India over how poor nations could raise tariffs when farm imports surge.

But with newly elected governments in both countries, efforts are now under way to put talks back on track.

The collapse in the negotiations came as a big relief to the Irish farm and agri-food sectors. They claimed the proposals on the table at the time were potentially devastating for Ireland.

Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith recently told the Dáil the current position is that the talks are stalled. He said he and his officials and his government colleagues are pursuing Ireland’s interests in the negotiations with the European Commission and other member states at every opportunity.

“We want an agreement that is balanced within and between the various negotiating pillars, that delivers real benefits to Ireland and does not sacrifice our agriculture sector,” he said.

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