Why the WTO talks will break down
IFA members protesting outside the office of Tánaiste Mary Coughlan in Kildare St, Dublin, yesterday. EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has accused the IFA of acting in “bad faith” and of distributing “totally misleading” figures. Photograph: Doug O’Connor
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks currently taking place were never likely to succeed. There just isn’t the common ground needed to reach a settlement everyone can live with. Even within the EU, there is little consensus. Current EU president Nicholas Sarkozy and EU trade negotiator Peter Mandelson seem determined to carry on their childish spat in public.
And then there are other obstacles, such as the matchup involving the Americans on the one hand, and the Chinese and Indians on the other. Countries like Indonesia don’t want to be lumped together with bigger emerging market nations and want more protections. I’m not sure what Latin America wants, but as for the Africans, I don’t think anyone really cares. Although, I’m sure there are a lot of groups who have figured out what would be best for us and are pushing that agenda.
I think the Irish Farmer’s Association (IFA) should relax. Even if they hadn’t come out in full force, this trade round would probably still have been doomed. I will say this though, having watched them flex their muscles during the run up to the Lisbon Treaty referendum, the IFA have very big muscles.
And if every country represented at the trade talks has a group with muscles as big as the IFA’s, the talks can only collapse. Perceived self interest and common good seldom intersect in gatherings that large.
Superb space for all the family and not an ugly people carrier in sight
12:21 pm
I dont agree that the IFA should relax, they’re right to be suspicious of our representatives not pulling their weight in these talks. Just look at our platry fishing quotas that were handed on a plate to other countries in return for leveraging other industry and trade deals. Fishing is a very viable and vital part of our economy as an Island that was handed away cheaply so the farmers have every right to believe the same will be done to their industry. We’re a proud farming nation and have survived numerous foot and mouth scares from our lax neighbours. I would have serious concern for the influx of cheap foreign beef especially at this time in a downturn in the economy it would prove disasterous for Irish agriculture.
Local produced food is the key to survival for an island country geographically on the fringes of Europe especially since we do not produce our own energy and export so many of our resources. If foreign investment in industry or services were to pull out and home grown industries like agriculture and fishing have been crippled by WTO and EU agreements then how do we dig ourselves out of that hole when we find ourselves in it?
Not wishing to be all doom and gloom but i find it hard that there will be an agreement between so many countries when even a bloc with 27, as we have seen, find it hard to agree on matters
Comment by paul m