US pressure on EU over subsidies
3 December 1999
US pressure on EU over subsidies
THE European Union and Japan came under pressure at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle to end their agriculture subsidy regimes.
The USA and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporting countries are the main advocates for the change.
Europes trade commissioner, Pascal Lamy, met Charlene Barshefsky, the US trade representative, yesterday in an attempt to settle the issues holding up agreement on agriculture.
The bones of contention are thought to be the speed at which agriculture should be integrated into the WTO, the future of subsidies and Europes insistence on the need to protect rural employment.
Negotiations on agriculture will start in the new year whatever the outcome of Seattle.
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