§ 25. Mr. TynanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has made to the EU with regard to removing barriers to trade for developing countries. [54762]
§ Clare ShortThe UK recognises that, even with the preferential trade access available to many developing countries, the highest tariffs continue to fall on historically sensitive products of interest to developing countries, particularly agricultural goods, textiles and clothing. In order to tackle the substantial barriers to trade, a new trade round was launched at the fourth WTO ministerial meeting in Doha in November last year with a pro-development agenda. The meeting resulted in agreement on the need to reduce barriers to trade in agriculture and manufactured goods. In response to this, my Department is working with the DTI and DEFRA to ensure that these commitments become a reality.