Following the July 2004 breakthrough in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament will hold the annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO from 24 to 26 November 2004, at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Members of parliament from some 60 countries are expected to attend. The session will be an opportunity for them to exchange views and experiences with colleagues specialising in trade matters in other parliaments and to interact with government officials directly involved in the WTO negotiations.

The Brussels session, which will be co-chaired by the EP President, Josep Borrell, and by the IPU President, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez, will follow up on previous sessions held in Geneva in February 2003 and in Cancún in September 2003, the latter in conjunction with the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference.

According to the IPU President, "The Brussels session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO will provide members of parliament with an opportunity to examine recent developments in the WTO and to consider a possible parliamentary contribution to the revitalisation of the WTO process."

President Borrell said "The parliamentary dimension is important to carry the debate about trade issues into parliaments. Trade issues concern citizens in their daily life. They must be addressed close to the citizens, not only among government representatives, behind closed doors."

Parliamentarians will debate key areas of current WTO negotiations such as agriculture and trade in services from a development perspective. An interactive panel discussion on the significance of the July 2004 WTO General Council decision will take place on Wednesday, 24 November (3.45 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.), with government negotiators of the Group of Five (Australia, Brazil, European Union, India and United States of America) addressing the future of the Doha Round.

On Friday, 26th November, there will be a discussion with the WTO Director-General, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, from 10 a.m. to 12.30 a.m.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 140 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +41 22 919 41 16/27 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org