‘Deepening difficulties’ seen in WTO talks in Geneva

There is reportedly "deepening difficulties" in the ongoing World Trade Organization-Non-Agricultural Market Access (WTO-NAMA) negotiations in Geneva which would likely entail an extension of the April 30 deadline on modalities.

This was reported to Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila by members of the Philippine negotiating team in Geneva.

The extension of the April 30 deadline, according to Favila, should thus assure the local industry sectors that the Philippines is not being pressured to accept by April 30 the proposals of the more developed WTO member countries.

Favila has been bombarded by non-government organizations with complaints that the country’s trade negotiators are not adequately protecting the Philippine industry sectors’ interest, a charge which Favila is seeking to disprove.

In fact, Favila has issued a memorandun to the country’s trade negotiators in Geneva to ensure that the Philippines’ development objectives are met in the current WTO-NAMA talks.

Specifically, Favila wrote that guidelines take into account that "we remain committed to our overall negotiating objective of obtaining maximum trade policy flexibilities appropriate to our level of economic development and present fiscal situation."

Second, Favila instructed, "we must ensure that the needs and concerns of our domestic constituents are taken fully into account in formulating our positions."

Several NGOs had recently expressed concern that the country’s trade negotiators appeared to be ready to accept the imposition of a five-percent minimum on the exclusion list which would thus only allow a little over 200 tariff lines instead of at least 600 tariff lines.