WORLD TRADE WT/GC(97)/ST/8
19December 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-5600)
Original: French General Council
10December 1997
SWITZERLAND
Statement byMr.Wilhelm Meier
Minister, Permanent Representative
There issomething thatemerges veryclearly from theDirector-General 'sannual report in
connection withthisagenda item, andthatistherelentless advance oftheglobalization oftheworld
economy, asillustrated bythefactthatinternational tradehasgrown threetimes faster thanworld GDP
during the1990s. TheWTO Agreements wereaninitial response bytheinternational community to
thechallenges arising fromthisprocess, andtheyshould helpustocopebetter withnewconstraints
andtakeadvantage ofnewopportunities. However, these agreements arenotinthemselves anearnest
ofsuccess: thatisrather tobefound inthecollective willunderpinning ourgovernmental action and
thecooperation towhich wehavecommitted ourselves.
Against thisbackdrop ofworld economic developments, Ishould liketomake afewbrief
comments onthetasks oftheWTO, andfirstofall,some comments onimplementation. Atthe
Singapore Ministerial Conference, wereaffirmed ourcommitment tofullyimplementing theUruguay
Round Agreements. Thatisthemost urgent priority. Iampleased tonoteinthisconnection that
theWTO dispute settlement system hasworked satisfactorily, inparticular asregards institutional
procedures. Needless tosay,theWTO willnotgainlasting credibility unless thedecisions adopted
bytheDispute Settlement Body areacted upon without delay.
Nevertheless, theWTO 'stasksarenotconfined totheimplementation oftheagreements. The
trading system mustcontinually adapt tothedemands ofglobalization. Some initial stepsweretaken
inthissense atSingapore, andtheyhavealready ledtotangible results: forinstance, theconclusion
oftheagreements oninformation technology andbasic telecommunications services. These successes
areheartening, andtheyshould encourage ustoredouble ourefforts toopen markets stillfurther.
Inthewake ofthese successes, weshould conclude thenegotiations onfinancial services bythe
established deadline andonafirmbasis.
Wealsohavetomake themostoftheresults oftheSingapore Conference inorder tobroaden
thescope ofthemultilateral trading system.
Afirstcomment tobemade inthisconnection isthatduring thepresent decade foreign
investment hasincreased more rapidly thanworld exports. Today, investment andtrade areclosely
related. Inorder todevelop, bothofthemrequire apredictable andcoherent multilateral framework.
ItisuptotheWTO toplayitsnatural roleindeveloping thisframework. Thediscussions thathave
beenheldsofarintheWTO areagood starting point, andwehopethattheywillpavethewayfor
specific action. Thesame applies totheinteraction between trade andcompetition policy.
./.WT/GC(97)/ST/8
Page2
Withregard togovernment procurement, weshould alsovigorously pursue theworkundertaken
sofarinorder toimprove compliance withgovernment procurement procedures onanon-discriminatory
basis.Furthermore,weshouldensurethattradetransactionsarenothinderedbyexcessivelycomplicated
andcumbersome administrative andcustoms procedures. Thisshould alsobetheobjective ofour
activities inthefieldoftrade facilitation.
InSingapore, Ministers alsodecided thatthere should beahigh-level meeting ontheleast
developed countries, andSwitzerland ispleased tonotethatitwasasuccess. Asweseeit,oneof
themainachievements ofthismeeting wastheadoption oftheintegrated framework fortrade-related
technical assistance. Infact,thisaspect could havebeenbetter reflected intheoverview report of
developments ininternational trade. Thanks tothisintegrated framework fortrade-related technical
assistance, assistance programmes canbebetter adapted totheneeds oftheleast-developed countries,
andtheactivities funded byagencies anddonor countries maybebetter coordinated. What isimportant
nowistosecure theimplementation oftheintegrated framework byalltheagencies involved, both
national andinternational.
Thisbrings metoanother aspect ofinternational cooperation. Ishould liketohighlight the
goodstartmade incooperation between theBretton Woods organizations andtheWTO. Thecontacts
which havedeveloped sofararepromising andwillcertainly expand, which isprecisely whatwewould
liketosee.Inthecurrent context ofglobalization, itismore important thanevertoensure coherence
among global economic policies. Thisdelegation therefore welcomes thediscussion scheduled tobe
heldintheGeneral Council atthebeginning ofnextyear.
Ishould nowliketostress animportant aspect ofthecontemporary trading system, namely
regionalism. Everything mustbedonetoensure thatregional integration initiatives andthemultilateral
system aremutually supportive. What ismost important isthatregional arrangement should not
jeopardize therights andobligations ofWTO Members.
Switzerland alsoattaches great importance tothework oftheCommittee onTrade and
Environment. Wehope thatprogress canbemade increating positive synergies between trade
liberalization andenvironmental protection. Wetherefore consider thattheCommittee hasanimportant
roletoplayinensuring coherence between WTO rules andmultilateral environmental agreements.
Toconclude, itisapparent fromthese comments thattherapid paceandradical nature ofthe
changes taking place intheworld economy present uswithnewchallenges thatrequire novel solutions.
Atthesame time, wemust respond topublic fears about theeconomic globalization process. Itis
therefore important tostrive continuously toinform andincrease awareness inorder toexplain the
underlying reasons fortheliberalization oftrade, aswellasitsbenefits.