The EU has joined the US in finding fault with the balance and ambition of the three negotiating texts that have been placed on the table in Geneva in an attempt to inch the negotiatons on the Doha development agenda forward.
...the commission found fault with all three texts. "The EU believes that the necessary balance between the NAMA and agri texts has not been found," the commission said.
"The EU would also have hoped (for) more from the services text, which does not contain guidance for setting the level of ambition of the services negotiations as one of the three market access pillars of the round," it said.
The WTO's Doha round of talks aims to cut barriers and spur development but has been mired in deadlock and disagreement since its launch in the Qatari capital in 2001.
"The EU calls on WTO members to work together to deliver (negotiating) modalities that respect both the sensitivity of developing countries and the Doha mandate of generating real and new market access in non-agricultural products," the commission said.
"The EU is as always open to discuss the constraints of all partners but believes that a small minority should not be in command of the agenda," it added.
The US, EU, and Australia have all called for more ambition on services this week. Why has New Zealand been so silent?
