Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-13-Speech-2-056"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2004-01-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Prospects for the Doha Development Round after the WTO General Council meeting of 15 December 20032
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20040113.4.2-056"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2004-01-13-Speech-2-0572
lpv:speaker	lp:W.G. van Velzen2
lpv:spokenAs	vice-chair; EPP-ED (1999-09-30--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Poland Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-04-30)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Christen Democratisch Appèl (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-05-08--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, first of all, my thanks to the two Commissioners for their efforts and for the points they have raised here. The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats greatly appreciates your commitment and your efforts, which must be aimed at making 2004 a greater success than 2003. I share the Commissioner’s view that we need to give the Member States more information with regard to the offer made by the European Union in the field of agriculture. It was already evident in Cancún that people did not believe it, and I think that it is useful and necessary to go further towards explaining that offer. It strikes me that, whilst it is true that Mr Zoellick is making a great gesture, it is still unclear what exactly he is proposing. We do of course welcome the increased flexibility on this point that is now being shown by the US Government, but the question that I should like to ask both Commissioners is as follows: does that also apply to cotton, for example? I ask this because, as far as I know, the position of the United States regarding cotton is still fairly rigid. Perhaps you could tell us a little more about this? I am also wondering to what extent Japan is currently prepared to relax its policy with regard to rice, because, as you know, the subject of rice was another of the obstacles in Cancún. Perhaps you would also like to give us some further details on this? The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats believes that the offer we have made in the field of agriculture, which even includes the possibility of reducing export subsidies to virtually zero, and now also an increased flexibility regarding geographical indications, is sufficient for us to go into the negotiations. We also welcome the fact that the offer is being seen in a wider perspective and that we are not only looking at agriculture, but also at services and the Singapore issues. Unfortunately, we shall also have to accept that there is an inherent degree of flexibility, but I think that the package now before us should offer sufficient scope to get the negotiations off the ground. Something that is tending to fall by the wayside is the whole debate on a kind of reform of the WTO. We all know that Cancún also revealed that the organisation cannot carry on functioning the way it is now doing. I hope that this is also included in the package, therefore. The question that Commissioner Lamy asked us was whether we would give him free rein to enter into the negotiations with the package as he proposed it. On behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, I can give him a straightforward answer: yes, we believe he can."@en1

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