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WTO: Italy says no to citrus' zero-duty imports
Italy
Thursday 29 May 2008
“Despite the appeal addressed to the Agriculture Commissioner Fischer Boel to be mindful about the list of tropical fruit benefiting from zero-duty, the new document presented on the 22 of May in Geneva by the chairman of the Agricultural Committee Falconer, within the WTO multilateral agreement, includes among tropical fruit even those typical of our areas, such as oranges and lemons”.
This was the reaction of Italian minister of Agriculture Luca Zaia (recently appointed) to the latest Falconer Paper, which includes even mandarins, potatoes, onions, peppers, melons, watermelons and cut flowers in the list of tropical fruit.
“I have already given instructions to the Geneva offices, the Italian representation in Brussels, the Italy’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other involved offices -minister Zaia added - to convey Italy’s utmost opposition to Falconer Paper”.
“It seems that this is a Geneva’s attempt to relaunch the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). In such a case then it is better to be clear from the beginning: with similar preambles there is no margin of negotiation”, minister Zaia concluded.
This was the reaction of Italian minister of Agriculture Luca Zaia (recently appointed) to the latest Falconer Paper, which includes even mandarins, potatoes, onions, peppers, melons, watermelons and cut flowers in the list of tropical fruit.
“I have already given instructions to the Geneva offices, the Italian representation in Brussels, the Italy’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other involved offices -minister Zaia added - to convey Italy’s utmost opposition to Falconer Paper”.
“It seems that this is a Geneva’s attempt to relaunch the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). In such a case then it is better to be clear from the beginning: with similar preambles there is no margin of negotiation”, minister Zaia concluded.
