WTO: Director general Lamy updates WTO Members on fisheries subsidies negotiations

Here is an extract of Mr Lamy's report to the informal meeting of the "Trade Negotiations Committee" (TNC) on 24 July 2009:

With respect to fisheries subsidies, delegations continue to work through the road map circulated at the same time as the December 2008 texts. The Chair has ndicated that he expects to complete the discussion of the road map during the course of the Autumn, with a next meeting already scheduled for September and a further meeting expected in October. Following the completion of the road map discussion, the Chair intends to provide delegations with an opportunity to present any alternative visions as to the structure and substance of fisheries subsidies disciplines.

You will recall that the Chair emphasized when he issued his December 2008 text that he was taking the bottom-up approach to negotiations that delegations had requested. It is his hope that the intensive ongoing discussions will put him in a position where he will be able to issue texts, hopefully reflecting some degree of convergence, which can only come from members.

Here is the link to the webpage at the WTO website with Mr Lamy's speech to the TNC:

http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news09_e/tnc_dg_stat_24jul09_e.htm