France

岸上的猪

Delegate: Lingxiao Chen 陈凌霄

School: Wuhan Foreign Languages School 武汉外国语学校

Country: France Committee: WTO

Topic: Agricultural Trade Reform




France is the third-largest developed country in Western Europe and the center of a large overseas administration. It is also the biggest agricultural country of The European Union as well as the world’s second- largest country of exporting agricultural products1. It’s clear to see that France is a strong advocate of farmer support and protections, attaches great importance to this worldwide central issue.  

  

As for the agricultural trade reform, the WTO had launched the Doha Round in 2001 which was thought to be finished on January 20052, but still in progress, was expected to solve the issues in agricultural trades. France had participated with passion, hope, and patience as well but now France is impatience of its inefficiency and has to point out that the European Union has yielded excessively many. The chief of the WTO criticized a new U.S. farm bill, saying it sent a wrong signal to the Doha Round trade talks, while urging the European Union to show more flexibility.3 France protests this criticism. We second the fact that The European Union has yielded excessively many, and France thinks in October, 2005 already suspended on the conference table the proposition should be an agent.





France expresses strong opposition to the fresh compromise proposals on agriculture and industrial goods trade such as reducing subsidies, reducing tariffs. If the European Union accepted an agreement of these, it would cause the European agriculture to reduce production 20%, the agricultural product volume of exports reduce 10%. Our residents would lose 100,000 work opportunities4. This is not only a narrow issue for France, but it involves the whole European Union.




France emphasize the fact that it is the biggest agricultural country of The European Union as well as the world’s second-largest country of exporting agricultural products，in France's employed population, 14% must depend upon the agriculture department. Therefore, France opposes making bigger concessions in the round negotiations. Compared with the USA, the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Japan and South Korea lack the agricultural superiority, this is why we should maintain to the agricultural high protection support.  




France holds to the maintenance to the agricultural high protection and support, uses the Uruguayan pattern to carry on the customs duty to give in with the reduction of domestic support, give members big flexibility. We support strict standards and foreign export credit reduction.




France is eager to have more cooperation with countries like Japan, who are also striving for retaining some agricultural products’ high customs duty and have similar issues. We shall come up with more policies together while negotiating. France’s point is clear.  




Delegate: Lingxiao Chen 陈凌霄

School: Wuhan Foreign Languages School 武汉外国语学校