Mandelson pitches for bilateral agreements that boost free trade
16 Oct '06
3 min read
Mandelson argued: "Doha has not stalled because of bilateral trade agreements, and bilateral trade agreements need not be fatal to its success. The bilateral agreements I proposed last week have been in preparation for over a year - long before our current Doha problems".
Mandelson argued: "the risks in trade policy are not so much in the balance between multilateralism and bilateralism, but the choice between an open and ambitious approach to bilateralism that drives forward the dynamic of global liberalisation and a closed approach to bilateralism that looks for the quick political fix or opens some borders only to close others".
Mandelson concluded: "Bilateral trade agreements are not of course new in EU trade policy. We are not, as some have suggested 'shifting our focus away from the WTO'. The WTO will remain the essential platform for ensuring Europe's interests are recognised in the global trading system."
"The EU's priority will be to ensure that any new bilateral agreements, including our own, serve as a stepping stone, not a stumbling block for the widest possible openness in the global trading system".
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