[20031106]RS21664_世贸组织坎昆部长级会议.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21664November 6, 2003The WTO Cancn Ministerialname redactedAnalyst in International Trade and FinanceForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryThe Cancn Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization(WTO) brokeup without reaching agreement on the course of future multilateral trade negotiations.Negotiations on the Doha Development Agenda have proceeded at a slow pace since thelaunch of the new round in November 2001. The immediate cause of the collapse oftalks was disagreement over launching negotiations on the Singapore issues, butagriculture and industrial market access issues were also sources of contention. Reactionfrom the United States has been to focus on regional and bilateral talks, while theEuropean Union has undertaken a policy review of its position towards the WTO. Thetalks were characterized by the emergence of the G-20+ group of developing nations thatsought deep cuts in developed country agricultural subsidies. This report will not beupdated.The 5th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) took placein Cancn, Mexi