EU & Malinese President to discuss on Doha cotton trade, today
19 Nov '05
3 min read
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson will meet with President of the Republic of Mali Toumani Toure.
Commissioner Mandelson will use the meeting to reinforce the commitment of the EU to addressing the needs of cotton producing states in West Africa. Commissioner Mandelson will recall that as part of its Doha strategy the EU has offered to cut all export subsides and reduce its trade distorting subsides to cotton to negligible levels from the first day following a final Doha agreement. In due course the EU will call on its trading partners to offer the same.
Before the meeting EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson stated that in Mali, and the rest of West Africa roughly 15 million people depend on cotton for their living. In the major cotton producing African states, cotton accounts for between 50 and 80 percent of exports.
Collapsing cotton prices on the world market, driven down by subsidies in the developed world, are putting people at serious risk. In the face of the hardship experienced by African cotton producers the EU is committing to exceptional treatment for cotton in the WTO negotiations.
In my area of responsibility, we are calling for the WTO membership to fast-track cotton in agriculture negotiations and to ensure that wide-ranging agreements on cutting and eliminating cotton subsides are in place from the first day following a final Doha agreement. We think that the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial Conference is the moment to deliveron the promises made at the time of the July 2004 Framework agreement.
marketing@alchempro.com
