IRELAND: EU HAS HIT THE LIMIT ON WTO AG

UNCLAS DUBLIN 001279 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ETRD WTRO SUBJECT: IRELAND: EU HAS HIT THE LIMIT ON WTO AG NEGOTIATIONS REF: A. STATE 190730 ¶B. YOUNG-EU TRADE OFFICERS 10/17 E-MAIL ¶1. On October 17, Post Agricultural Specialist delivered ref A demarche to Damian Flynn, Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) EU Trade Office Principal Officer. Flynn said that the GOI was scrutinizing the October 10 U.S. proposal, but conveyed DAF's view that the Commission had already offered as much as it could in the WTO ag negotiations. He noted that Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlin had said as much in an October 13 statement calling on the Commission to defend the CAP. (Note: In her statement, Coughlin said that the U.S. offer was welcome, but she expressed concern that the Commission had been "unnecessarily forthcoming in its response." She also listed Irish priority areas for the negotiations, including maximum phase-out periods for export subsidies and guarantees that decoupled payments to farmers would continue to qualify as allowable Green Box payments. Ref B lists a link to Minister Coughlin's statement on the DAF website.) Flynn added that Ireland, along with 12 other Member States, had fully endorsed a memorandum by French Agriculture Minister Bussereau to EU Agriculture Commissioner Fischer Boel on growing unease regarding the Commission's negotiating strategy. ¶2. On October 17, Post also delivered ref A demarche to Tony Joyce, Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (DETE) Senior Trade Negotiator and Ireland's 133 Committee Titulaire. Joyce said that the GOI welcomed the reinvigoration of agricultural trade negotiations prompted by the October 10 U.S. proposal, which he characterized as far-reaching in certain areas, though lacking specificity in others, particularly regarding export subsidies. He observed that Ireland would continue to review the U.S. proposal, but he cited assurances from EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson to 133 Committee members on October 14 that the Commission would not go beyond CAP reform limits in the negotiations. He expressed hope that Mandelson could be creative within those limits. Joyce also related, more generally, that Ireland remained concerned with seeming failures to address developing countries' needs in the run-up to the Hong Kong ministerial, as reflected in the lack of progress on the NAMA and services components of the Doha negotiations. KENNY