EU could make new WTO offer
He said he may move at Hong Kong, or later, if the momentum of the negotiation were to accelerate. The EU has offered a 46% cut in average tariffs, but this falls short of the 54% called for by the Group of 20 developing countries, and well below the 55 to 90% range of cuts demanded by the US.
Mandelson, due to meet delegations from Brazil, India, and the US on Tuesday, said he would continue to ask trade negotiators from other countries to improve their offers. Any new offer he will make at Hong Kong, or later, will be “obviously within the limits of the negotiating mandate”, he told EU foreign ministers.
