FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2006
Goodlatte Criticizes EU's Market Access Policies
Chairman Blasts EU at Press Conference with Johanns and Portman
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte expressed his continued frustration with the European Union’s market access policies at a press conference today with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman. The press conference followed an executive session of the Agriculture Committee during which Members discussed the World Trade Organization (WTO) agricultural trade negotiations.
“The lack of progress made at the Doha Round ministerial in Hong Kong last December was very disappointing. While these talks should have focused on cutting farm tariffs, freeing trade and opening markets, the European Union failed to offer serious proposals and in the end little progress was made. In fact, just about the only thing that was accomplished was the agreement to eliminate export subsidies on agricultural goods by the end of 2013, and this is far too long to wait for so little,” said Goodlatte.
In late February Goodlatte led a bipartisan congressional delegation (codel) to France, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia and Poland where they met with officials to discuss a number of agricultural issues, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, market access, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and beef, pork and poultry trade.
“Now, just having returned from meetings with officials in Europe, I remain frustrated by the European Union’s position on market access. The fact that the EU’s trade surplus in agricultural products is so much larger than the US is ridiculous and is the result of protectionism, pure and simple. Even if the EU’s import tariffs were gone tomorrow, the US would continue to experience difficulty in getting our five largest commodities into the EU (corn, soybeans, beef, pork and poultry). These commodities are currently barred by unscientific means: the EU’s use of sanitary and phyto-sanitary trade barriers,” noted Goodlatte.
During meetings in Europe, Goodlatte’s delegation also discussed the EU’s opposition to GMOs as a barrier to trade.
“In the case of biotechnology, again the EU does not base its decisions on sound science and instead throws up a wall of fear about GMOs as a pretext for pursuing their protectionist policies and denying US producers access to their market. European consumers should have the opportunity to consume GMO food, and they will see that it can be eaten safely and successfully,” said Goodlatte. “The EU’s use of trade barriers doesn’t end there, however. The EU also uses the issue of US food aid as a means of diverting attention away from addressing the challenges confronting agricultural trade. Frankly, I am not convinced that a WTO agreement will ever be achieved. In the meantime, I commend USTR Portman and Agriculture Secretary Johanns for their demonstrated and continued commitment to developing a comprehensive agreement.”
During last December’s ministerial in Hong Kong, WTO trade ministers set April 30 as a deadline to complete an agreement on modalities for reforming farm subsidies. It was also agreed to reduce tariff barriers by July 1 of this year.
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