How will the collapse of the Doha Round impact the multilateral trading system? Is there a hope for a deal in the immediate future?
The round has made substantial progress. What's on the table is potentially worth two to three times more than previous rounds. This package is now at risk. Failure would be a blow to the development prospects of the more vulnerable members. It would also send out a strong negative signal for the future of the world economy at a time of increased geopolitical instability and of danger of a resurgence of protectionism. As I told our members, there are no winners from this suspension—only losers. I hope this timeout in the negotiations helps members to review their positions and numbers. I am pursuing contacts with them and will do everything to keep up the pressure for the political movement to permit the negotiations to resume.
Is there an effort to pressure the US for its intransigence?
This is not the time to play any blame game. All members have the responsibility to move in the negotiations. The EU on providing for greater cuts in agriculture tariffs, the US in accepting bigger cuts in agriculture subsidies and big emerging economies such as India, Brazil or South Africa in accepting bigger cuts in industrial tariffs.
The US is keener on bilaterals as those serve its interests better. How can it be convinced of the superiority of the multilateral system?
The WTO provides a stable, predictable rules-based multilateral trading system that no bilateral deal can match. Such pacts can be useful first steps towards liberalisation on a multilateral scale. For exporters, myriad bilateral deals means different rules of origin requirements, different export procedures, different rules of the game.
What according to you should developing countries like India and Brazil do now?
This is the time for serious and sober reflection for all members on what is at stake. Being a net agricultural exporter and having interests across the entire Doha agenda, I'm sure India remains interested in lower barriers for its products and services. The WTO offers such big emerging developing countries the forum to fight agriculture subsidies and open markets for those products. But as the big elephants in the trade scene, they also have the responsibility to contribute to the negotiations, concerning poorer members of the WTO. India must also look at the bigger picture.
