§ Lord Rodneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the recent negotiations on the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade.
§ Lord StrathclydeThe Trade Negotiations Committee of the GATT met in Geneva last week to deal with the four issues—agriculture, intellectual property, textiles and safeguards—left unresolved at their meeting in Montreal last December. The Committee agreed frameworks of principles to guide further negotiation on these issues and confirmed the agreements provisionally made in Montreal on the other eleven under negotiation in the Uruguay Round.
On agriculture, the committee agreed that the long-term objective of the negotiation should be to work towards substantial and progressive reductions in agricultural support and protection sustained over an agreed period of time. They agreed to realise this objective through strengthened GATT rules and disciplines applicable to all contracting parties and extending to all measures affecting import access and export competition. They also agreed that developed countries would not exceed their current levels of domestic and export support and protection before the end of the round.
On the protection of intellectual property rights, they agreed that the negotiations should cover effective enforcement, dispute settlement, adequate standards and the applicability of basic GATT principles. They confirmed that the negotiations on textiles and clothing should aim for a further general liberalisation of trade, including progressive integration of this sector into the GATT on the basis of strengthened rules and disciplines. On the question of better safeguard arrangements to deal with sudden surges of imports, they instructed negotiators to draw up a draft text for a comprehensive agreement.
120WAThese four agreements, and the confirmation of those made in Montreal on such important issues as services, tariffs and dispute settlement, provide a firm basis for the negotiation of substantial strengthening and extension of liberal and multilateral rules for trade by the conclusion of the round around the end of 1990. The Government will continue to work with our European Community partners to ensure an effective outcome to the negotiations which reflects UK priorities.