New WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy, addresses Parliamentarians

Mr Pascal Lamy

In one of his first public speaking engagements, on 22 September 2005 the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mr. Pascal Lamy, met with members of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO at the House of Parliaments, the Headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Mr. Lamy briefed them on the most salient issues in international trade, placing particular emphasis on what remains to be done for the completion of the Doha Round. He stressed the need for frequent and technically solid discussions between parliamentarians and WTO negotiators in order to enhance the transparency and accountability of the WTO. The Steering Committee finalized arrangements for the Hong Kong session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, which will take place on 12 and 15 December 2005, in conjunction with the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference.

INTERVIEW WITH PASCAL LAMY

"It is indeed parliamentarians who will ratify any agreement produced by the Doha Round"

Q.: When you were European Trade Commissioner, you began a dialogue with parliamentarians, and you are continuing it now as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). What do you expect to obtain from this cooperation?
Pascal Lamy : Cooperation with parliaments is essential for all international organizations. That was true for the European Commission, and it is certainly true for the WTO. It is often forgotten that parliaments must ratify WTO agreements if they are to be applied by the WTO's membership. This is extremely important. Yet the work of the WTO is often misunderstood by parliaments. The round of trade talks related to the Doha Development Agenda is going to reach a critical stage in the coming months. I am doing everything I can to meet parliamentarians and to explain to them the importance of these talks for the world economy. For example, in the last week of September I spent half my time in Washington with the Bush Administration, and the other half with the Congress.
I will schedule my agenda in such a way so that I will regularly visit parliamentarians during my missions throughout the world. I will also encourage members of parliament to come to Geneva and to the WTO so that they can realize first hand what the Organization is and what it does. I support the active participation of parliamentarians in our Ministerial Conference that will be held in Hong Kong in December. This event will be very important for the Doha Round. We must make it a catalyst that will allow us to agree on twothirds of our programme of work. If we succeed, we have a good chance of completing the round by the end of 2006, which is the objective set by governments. The participation of parliamentarians in this meeting can broaden political support for the negotiations.

Q.: During your visit to the House of Parliaments in September 2005, you said that the WTO negotiators were "in the kitchen" and that parliamentarians were "sitting at the table". As Director-General of the WTO, do you think that the people's elected representatives have a say in what is in preparation to balance the new international system of trade?
P.L. : As I said, the decision is ultimately for parliamentarians to make, as it is they who ratify our agreements; it is indeed parliamentarians who will ratify any agreement produced by the Doha Round. Government structures vary, so the exact form of parliamentary participation sometimes differs from one country to another. In many countries, the Minister of Trade is a member of parliament. In most, the negotiators answer to their parliaments, as they must appear before legislators to inform them of progress made in the talks and to take note of the expectations and concerns of elected representatives. In the United States of America, for example, not only does the Congress ratify trade agreements; it also in fact has the power to negotiate them, and it transfers this power to the President through special legislation. Yes, parliamentarians are sitting at the table, and they are also part of the process.

Q.: You are known to be a marathon runner, and there is no lack of hurdles facing the WTO. What is your strategy for ensuring that the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong does not fail?
P.L. : As WTO Director-General, I have absolutely no direct executive power over our membership. As everyone knows, the WTO is an organization which takes its direction from its members. There is no question that it is for them to reach an agreement. My role is to try to facilitate their efforts. I can do this in several ways, making use of my experience to suggest paths to move ahead. I can try to structure the negotiations so as to transform an incredibly complex process into something more manageable and accessible. I can make sure that the negotiators' attention remains targeted on key issues, and try to show them the way forward to a solution. I can also work with other international organizations to try to bring them to support our cause. In this spirit, I have tried to reconcile the views of our members on agriculture, which is a key element in the current round. I have said clearly that the United States and Europe must make the first step, but that the others must follow suit quickly with their own contributions. Also, last week I met with ministers of finance and development during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings, to offer them support and advice as they worked to draw up assistanceprogrammes for the developing countries. I have also begun a dialogue with the civil society movements that I will meet at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference, so that we can together address subjects of concern to them. I will continue these efforts, and will indeed step them up in the coming weeks and months, all the while aware that n the ultimate analysis, it is for governments to make the final decisions.