Irish anti-poverty campaigners have called on Irish ministers to take a strong stand in favour of poorer countries at the WTO conference in Doha. They want the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, to agree to the abolition of farm subsidies, which developing countries claim create an unfair advantage for rich countries.
Tr≤caire's policy analyst, Ms Maura Leen, praised the commitment of the Minister for State for Trade and Enterprise, Mr Tom Kitt, to giving developing countries better terms and conditions.
But she said he should put pressure on other EU member-states to take a more sympathetic approach to poor countries' concerns over how the WTO "TRIPS" agreement, which protects patent rights, affects their ability to deal with illnesses such as HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis.
"We would hope that Ireland will listen sympathetically to the views of developing countries and push hard for the public health consequences of TRIPS to be addressed," she said.
Although fewer representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are in Doha than were present when the WTO met in Seattle two years ago, a small group of campaigners travelled as observers with the Irish delegation.
Mr Conall O'Caoimh of Comhlβmh and Ms Leen are representing Dochas, an umbrella group of Irish NGOs. Mr David Joyce, development officer at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), is also attending the conference.
Mr Joyce said the issue of agricultural subsidies was likely to be key to achieving agreement for the launch of a new trade round.
"Some of the stronger developing countries are here with a strong mandate to achieve real progress on agricultural subsidies. I think it is very significant that Joe Walsh has decided to come here. I think he knows the writing is on the wall. The EU can't get a new round without giving something on agricultural subsidies," he said.
Developing countries complain that EU farm aid, especially export subsidies and the US system of export credits, create unfair obstacles to farmers from poorer countries. A draft declaration calls for the phasing out of such subsidies, but some EU member-states face enormous political pressure to avoid taking any step that could damage the interests of their own farmers.
Ms Leen believes agriculture ministers should accept that change is inevitable. "The Common Agricultural Policy is being reformed in any case and the liberalisation of agriculture is happening over time," she said. Mr Joyce backs a demand by the EU that labour rights should be incorporated into trade talks and that the WTO should consult formally with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). But he acknowledges that opposition from poorer countries such as India, which fear that the imposition of minimum labour standards would favour developed countries, is so great that the move has little chance of being accepted.
"It's not surprising that developing countries are suspicious. But if they look closely at the proposal, they will see that it is very modest and is not protectionist in any way," he said.
Ms Leen argues that it is more important to ensure that existing trade rules are applied fairly than to launch a new round of talks. But Mr Joyce, who favours a new round, believes that, if the EU and the US are willing to compromise, the chances of success are good.
"The EU and the US want a new round more than the developing countries do. So the developing countries are in a relatively strong position," he said.
