LexisNexis(TM) Academic - Document
Copyright 2005 The Financial Times Limited
Financial Times (London, England)

April 14, 2005 Thursday
Europe Edition 1

SECTION: WORLD NEWS; Pg. 9

LENGTH: 216 words

HEADLINE: Progress on talks to end fishing subsidies

BYLINE: By FRANCES WILLIAMS

DATELINE: GENEVA

BODY:


World Trade Organisation talks to curb fishing subsidies blamed for depletion of global fish stocks have begun to pick up speed, despite the slowdown in some other areas of the Doha global trade talks.

Trade diplomats and environmental groups said talks this week were centred on which subsidies should be banned or restricted, rather than on whether fishing subsidies should be specifically addressed by WTO disciplines.

Japan, Taiwan and South Korea have now dropped their objections to negotiations, though they continue to argue in favour of a restricted list of prohibited subsidies rather than a general ban favoured by most other countries.

"The WTO fishing subsidies negotiations are now genuinely moving - and in basically the right direction," David Schorr of WWF, the conservation group, said.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says 75 per cent of global fish stocks are depleted or overexploited.

Brazil presented a paper yesterday proposing special treatment for poorer nations, which would be granted more leeway to subsidise their fishing industries. The paper was welcomed by many WTO members asa basis for discussion. But Japan said it did not make sense to exempt developing countries from disciplines since they accounted for the bulk of world fishing and their share was rising.

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