WTO: Progress on Fisheries Negotiation Stalled by Inability to Fix a Date for MC12

Dike Onwuamaeze

Decisions that would further the progress of the long negotiated fisheries subsidies and other important issues suffered a setback yesterday on the inability to set a date for the next Ministerial Conference 12 (MC12) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which was initially scheduled to hold from November 20 to December 3, 2021.

But the MC12 was postponed due to the outbreak of Omicron, a variant of the COVID that was spreading fast at the period.

This was revealed by a Geneva trade official who spoke anonymously to journalists after the WTO’s informal general council meeting.

The official emphasized that the MC12 is important to provide the political impetus needed to keep the negotiations focused without drifting.

He said: “There have been efforts on the way to try to find a new date. The idea was to try to focus on the progress of the talk. But the way things work around here (WTO) is that if you do not have an anchor, if you do not have a deadline or some form of motivation, be it political or otherwise, then you run the risk that the talk will drift, which we are seeing in each of the important areas of the discussion, whether they be fisheries subsidies or response to COVID, WTO reform or agriculture.”

The official recalled that the MC12 was originally scheduled from November 20 to December 3, 2021, but was rescheduled due to the outbreak of Omicron.

“It was a big disappointment though a right decision to make. We were disappointed to have made all these efforts and have moved the ball so far down the pitch only to come across this variant of the COVID,” the trade official said.

The trade official revealed that the Chairman of the WTO General Council, Ambassador Dacio Castillo, tried yesterday to have a new date for the MC12 but members were divided between holding the meeting on June 2 to 4 or June 13 and on a later future date.

“In the meeting today our delegations (all of them) were content to the movement toward getting a date.

“It is the tradition at the WTO to try to get political impetus if we have to move. Today the chair of the general council talked to the members of the possibility of holding the ministerial in the month of June either on June 2-4 or June13th. The reason for those two windows has to do with logistics arrangement inspired by the lifting of many of the restrictions that has been in place to contain the COVID. These restrictions were lifted on February 17.”

However, the official was hopeful that Castillo would talk to more members today (Tuesday) during the continuation of the informal general council’s meeting in order to have a date for the MC12.

“We need to decide on this date as soon as possible. Castillo will be meeting tomorrow (today) to see if a compromise will be struck and report back at tomorrow’s (today) general council meeting,” the official said.