All Agricultural Products are Special Products : Bring Back QR?s

The W.T.O Ministerial in Cancun failed over agriculture. The WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong nearly failed over agriculture. It went through only because of a EU commitment to review export subsidies by 2013. However, this was not a specific WTO commitment made in Hong Kong. The review and reform of CAP beginning 2013 was part of the EU budget agreement arrived at in Brussels.

In any case export subsidies are a mere 3% of total subsidies given by rich countries. The remaining trade distorting subsidies will therefore continue. In the context of forced removal of import restrictions or Quantitative Restriction (QR