Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-13-Speech-1-081"
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"en.19991213.3.1-081"2
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"Mr President, we should not be too worried about allowing a Commissioner to bask in the glory of congratulations from the European Parliament. It is a rare occasion so he should enjoy it.
As he suggests, we should be looking forward rather than backward now. We should welcome talk of modernisation and reform of the WTO and the recognition that we need seriously to modify the perception that is held elsewhere of the protectionist stance of the industrialised world.
A key objective for us must be for all 135 members of the WTO to have a part to play in that process of reform as well as what goes on afterwards. I can confirm that 30 members did not have the capacity or the ability to go to Seattle. My abiding memory was of the sense of exclusion felt by developing countries. They all remained adamant throughout that there was a great deal of post-Uruguay Round unfinished business – on textiles and agriculture in particular – that needed to be addressed.
I was heartened by the fact that three-quarters of the WTO members could no longer be ignored. It was they who were able to call a halt. Should we be surprised that they wanted to do that on the grounds that they have only 0.4% of the share of world trade? There are choices: either we allow globalisation to roll on without guidance or we rein it in to ensure that it brings benefits to all.
We have an opportunity to address the concerns raised in Seattle. That means identifying the problems and then acting. Of course, we did have the difficulty of the 135-page draft you took with you to Seattle, upon which you have no broad agreement, so it was hardly surprising that difficulties were encountered. At the end of the week, the developing countries were simply not prepared to accept a "done deal" made in secret rooms by the big players. Of course we recognise the fact that we need a rules-based system to regulate world trade but let us see more openness, let us see more and better ways of achieving and building global consensus."@en1
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