A NAMA Caucus

Geneva - The chair of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations on nonagricultural market access Don Stephenson has created what he calls a NAMA caucus of some two dozen key World Trade Organization members to accelerate work on all core issues, WTD was told (WTD, 1/30/07).

The caucus will begin work on Monday by discussing the state of play and the core issues of the tariff-reducing formula and flexibilities for developing countries, among other issues. Members include Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, China, South Korea, Costa Rica, Canada, the European Union, Kenya, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mauritius, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and the United States.

In his statement to yesterdays trade negotiations committee, WTO chief Pascal Lamy said work in NAMA is progressing on nontariff barriers and sectorals but suggested that progress on the coefficients for tariff cuts and flexibilities are lagging.

On Monday, European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told some trade envoys that Brussels wants a coefficient of 15" in the Swiss formula for developing countries and 10" for industrialized countries. He said a coefficient of 20" for developing countries would be difficult to accept - and 25" is out of question, trade diplomats said. Even with a coefficient of 10", industrialized countries like the EU could continue in place their peak tariffs on textiles, trade diplomats noted.