GENEVA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The EU and Brazil on Monday submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) a joint proposal on support for agricultural production and food safety measures.
"The objective is to limit market distortions, to ensure a global level-playing field for farmers while taking into account particular needs of developing countries," said the European Union in a statement.
EU Ambassador to the WTO Ambassador Marc Vanheukelen told journalists in Geneva, "With the submission we are making today, we have now lived up to that promise to submit all our proposals in good time", for the WTO Ministerial (MC11) meeting scheduled for December 10 to 13 in Buenos Aires.
"A great many of the WTO members rightfully consider agriculture as a gateway issue in the sense that without agriculture there cannot be a deal in Buenos Aires and the ambition in agriculture will to a great degree determine the ambition in other files," said Vanheukelen.
Colombia, Peru and Uruguay have already expressed their support for the initiative and are co-sponsors of the EU-Brazil proposal, the EU said in the statement.
Agricultural domestic support is an important issue in the negotiations leading up to the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) to be held in Buenos Aires in December 2017.
EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom was quoted in the statement saying, "Together with Brazil and other countries we are demonstrating our staunch support for a global trading system based on rules, at an important time for the World Trade Organization.
"Our proposal is at once ambitious and realistic. It will ensure that we can have forward-looking and hopefully successful negotiations on this important issue in Buenos Aires."
The EU said the proposal suggests leveling the playing field between WTO members by limiting trade-distorting farm subsidies in proportion to the size of each country's agricultural sector.
It said the initiative takes into account the specific needs of developing countries -- the least developed countries would be exempted from any subsidy limits -- in order to allow for development of their farming sector.
