PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON WTO URGES GOVERNMENTS AND PARLIAMENTS TO ENGAGE IN A REGULAR DIALOGUE

Around 300 parliamentarians from 80 countries met in Brussels in November 2004 at the annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, which was jointly organised by the European Parliament (EP) and the IPU. They adopted a Declaration in which they “urge governments and parliaments to engage in a regular dialogue so that the latter can effectively exercise parliamentary oversight of the international trade negotiations and their follow-up.”

At the end of the meeting, we interviewed EP President Josep Borrell and Brazilian Ambassador to the WTO Luis Felipe de Seixas Correa.

	EP President Josep Borrell: "Governments should act knowing that their parliaments are behind them" Q: Do parliamentarians have a role to play in WTO negotiations? Josep Borrell: The negotiations are the responsibility of governments. But it is important that governments should act knowing that their parliaments are behind them. And parliaments cannot wait for the work to be over to say whether or not they agree, because by then it is hard to say no; if they do not agree, that challenges the whole process. So it would be best for them to follow the negotiations closely and give their opinion as they advance, so that their participation helps ensure a better result and a better understanding on the part of the public. Q: Are governments prepared to let parliaments play a role? J.B.: I think they are increasingly doing so. International negotiations used to be the private domain of governments, but globalisation has changed all that. The subjects are too important. Indeed, we no longer deal exclusively with trade questions, but also with issues of interest to society as a whole.

	Brazilian Ambassador to the WTO Luis Felipe de Seixas Correa: "Parliaments provide political legitimacy for decisions made by governments" Q: Can parliaments be active in WTO negotiations? Luis Felipe de Seixas Correa: Of course. Like anything having to do with trade, WTO negotiations are political: they relate to everything from the conditions of production to wealth distribution. Parliaments provide political legitimacy for decisions made by governments. They have a role to play, not in the negotiations themselves, but in observing and discussing with members of the executive branch of their respective countries the decision-making and the guidelines that are given to their negotiators. After all, the issues in question affect or influence our societies. And if I may say so, parliaments are the very best insurers of political power in our countries. Q: Are governments prepared to let parliaments play a role? L.F.d.S.C.: Yes. I can speak for the case of Brazil. We are doing our best to inform parliamentarians and to enable them to participate in general terms in formulating our negotiation strategy. For us, this is part of the legitimacy of our trade policy, and it is a commitment that we think should grow. Q: Will this help the WTO to be more transparent to citizens who have their doubts about that organisation? L.F.d.S.C.: Perhaps. Transparency at the WTO is not just a question of concern to citizens; it is also of concern to certain member States. That is the case in all negotiation processes. Some negotiations have to take place in small committees, as it is very difficult to negotiate a text with the representatives of 148 countries in a single meeting room. But the WTO's decisions are transparent. The texts are there and everything we do is the result of a consensus. The 148 WTO member States which take part in the decision-making have representatives whose legitimacy is ensured by their governments.