WHO-besprekingen begonnen in Genève (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Frans voorzitterschap Europese Unie 2e helft 2008 i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 23 juli 2008.

A new session of the General Affairs and External Relations Council took place yesterday, as it has every day since the negotiations begun, and brought together the ministers for foreign trade in the presence of the agriculture ministers.

The Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson i, and the Commissioner for Agriculture, Marianne Fischer Boel i, gave account of the ongoing negotiations being held between some 30 States representative of different positions, which have been brought together by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy i. These 30 States are among the WTO's 153 Member States, from which some 60 ministers have been sent to Geneva.

The French Presidency concluded yesterday's session by confirming to the Commissioners the EU Member States' concern that the negotiating mandate be scrupulously respected, that complete transparency be upheld, and that great firmness be shown vis-à-vis the partners of the European Union to achieve a rebalancing of negotiations.

The Presidency requested that several groups of experts from the Member States be formed to monitor discussions with the European Commission on a certain number of key issues for the European Union.