EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson was challenged in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, July 6th to state the limit he was not prepared to exceed to secure a World Trade Organisation deal through concessions on agriculture.

Independent MEP Marian Harkin asked if the mandate given by the Council of Ministers had changed and if there was a limit that would not be exceeded.  She referred to the statement made by Commissioner Mandelson in the Parliament that he was negotiating alongside Agriculture Commissioner Fischer Boel and asked his view on her statement that concessions demanded by the G20 group of countries, if conceded, would mean the loss of half a million jobs in the agriculture supply  chain with beef production in countries like Ireland and France decimated, and poultry production in Europe eliminated.

Commissioner Mandelson in his response said that balance had to be maintained between agriculture, non-agriculture, and services sectors but that the EU would not pay over the limits to secure desirable advantage on trade.  He emphasised that it was essential for the EU and the USA to work together to secure an acceptable W.T.O. agreement and he had no Plan B because he was not preparing for failure of negotiations.

Commenting on Commissioner Mandelson’s response Marian Harkin said that she was not convinced that in attempting to secure what he described as a fair and reasonable outcome within his mandate, further agriculture concessions would not be made which would place additional pressure on Ireland’s and the EU’s farmers.

“Prime Minister Blair in the House of Commons last week was very direct in proposing further erosion of the CAP and he implied that German Prime Minister Merkel, agreed with him.  This is ominous in the context of the W.T.O. negotiations and the Irish Government will have to expend every effort in the coming weeks to oppose any concessions which would further accelerate CAP reform”, Independent MEP Marian Harkin said.