Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-03-12-Speech-2-261"
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"en.20020312.10.2-261"2
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".
Mr President, I would indeed prefer to answer these two questions together, as their content is the same. In the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the WTO members pledged to engage in comprehensive negotiations aimed at reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies, although the text ultimately adopted in Doha left the final outcome of the negotiations open.
The negotiations will cover all forms of export subsidies, not only our export refunds. For example, they will also focus on a regime for export credits, the export subsidy element of various food programmes, and trade-distorting practices by state-owned trading companies. It would be unacceptable to demand a further reduction of subsidies from the European Union alone. We have already made this very clear in the proposal we put forward as part of the Article 20 negotiations.
Furthermore, the European Union has already reduced its export refunds by 50%. In 1993, export refunds still totalled EUR 10 billion, whereas they currently amount to less than EUR 5 billion. The Commission is also endeavouring to shape its export policies in such a way as to avoid negative impacts on developing countries' production when granting refunds. As far as the common agricultural policy permits, the process of reducing subsidies will continue, with due account being taken of the interests of our own producers and trading companies in this context.
In response to the criticism voiced by the Court of Auditors regarding the use of export refunds, the Commission has devised an action plan which will be implemented during the first half of this year and which will introduce substantial changes to the current system. As the WTO negotiating round which has now been agreed is scheduled to end in 2004, it would be premature at this stage to determine the European Union's positions in detail or, indeed, predict the outcomes of the negotiations. Our final positions must be established against the background of the overall negotiations."@en1
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