11/02/05 The E.U.`s offer in Doha Round

11/02/05 The E.U.`s offer in Doha Round

Farm and Ranch November 2, 2005 The European Union late last week made a new proposal on market access in an effort to keep alive the Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks. E.U. Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the proposal goes further than Europe has gone before. Mandelson: "The E.U offers to cut by 60% its highest agricultural tariffs. There will be progressive cuts across the full range of other tariffs. Europe would cut its average agricultural tariff by 46% from 23% to 12 percent." Mandelson said the offer is contingent on satisfactory movement in other areas of agriculture like tighter disciplines on farm program payments in other countries. Mandelson: "The U.S. must act on its trade distorting food aid and export credits. And Australia, Canada and New Zealand must discipline their state trading enterprises to match Europe's elimination of export subsidies." The E.U. offer includes a 70% reduction in domestic farm programs. And while it proposes tariff reductions of up to 60 percent, Europe wants to exempt eight-percent of its products from any tariff reductions. Reaction to the E.U. proposal was generally negative in the United States. More on that tomorrow. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
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