Draft text 'lacks balance', says Mandelson

The draft text for a world trade talks deal “lacks balance”, EU trade chief Peter Mandelson said today.

But he vowed to continue to negotiate as the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong enter their final hours.

Mandelson said that he was also willing to engage fellow trade delegates over the contentious issue of determining an end date for export subsidies, which the draft text sets as 2010 – a key demand of developing nations. The EU has refused to agree to any date.

“I’m prepared to engage with them on this subject, but not in isolation,” he said after emerging from a meeting with EU member nations.