|
EU-US Summit Seen as Opportunity for Leaders
to Provide Much Needed Momentum
The American Business Coalition for Doha (ABCDoha) and the
Confederation of European Business (UNICE) are strong and
active supporters of an ambitious, balanced and comprehensive
outcome to the Doha round negotiations.
Our organizations represent a significant cross-section of
American and European businesses, many of whom are increasingly
concerned that the Doha round is not on track to deliver the
ambitious results that businesses need.
The core objective of multilateral trade negotiations is
to generate new opportunities for businesses from all participating
countries to sell more of their goods and services around
the world, thereby promoting sustainable economic growth and
enabling poverty reduction. We can ensure adequate flexibilities
for the poorest developing countries while at the same time
achieve real new market opening in developed and emerging
country markets alike.
Such market opening will be the benchmark of a successful
round. Business on both sides of the Atlantic refuses to write
a blank check for any result. Without demonstrable progress
on market access, business support for the round will erode.
We have reached a critical juncture in the Doha negotiations,
requiring direction and political will at the highest levels.
We urge leaders meeting in Vienna for the EU-US Summit next
week to take the necessary steps to put Doha back on a productive
track. The EU and US must work together if a meaningful result
is to be achieved.
Negotiators must bring expanded mandates and a sense of urgency
to their work in Geneva in order to reach agreement on negotiating
modalities before the August break, an imperative if negotiations
are to conclude successfully by the end of this year.
The American Business Coalition for Doha (ABCDoha) is
an umbrella group representing the diverse interests of service-providers,
manufacturers, agriculture, customs facilitators, and many
other stakeholders all dedicated to achieving an ambitious
result from the Doha Round in 2006. www.ABCDoha.org
UNICE is the voice of more than 20 million small, medium
and large companies. Active in European affairs since 1958,
UNICE's members are 39 central industrial and employers' federations
from 33 countries, working together to achieve growth and
competitiveness in Europe. www.UNICE.org
|
