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Article: EU/WTO: BRUGES TRADE INFORMAL TO 'FIX' QATAR MANDATE.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- European Report
- Article date:
- September 5, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Europolitics. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Most Member States are anxious not to reopen their internal debates on what to ask for in the next round of WTO talks - they remember the bitter wrangling and the ugly trade-offs that led to the compromise EU position that emerged in October 1999. That delicately negotiated stance meant the EU agenda included a number of issues which were bound to grate against many WTO countries, like examining social standards, and demanding 'cultural exemptions'.The problem, as Mr Lamy appears to have recognised, is that the EU's demand for a comprehensive package in the next trade round is simply not generating enough support from the wider WTO membership. The Commissioner has ...