Over to Bali, Indonesia

The serene environs of Bali will host the next Ministerial Conference (MC9) of the WTO in December 2013. I had earlier blogged about this here. Will we see some headway in the Doha rounds of negotiations here? The WTO website announced the MC9 here. The ground rules were set:

"Also resulting from her consultations, the chair proposed the following principles "to guide both the preparations for MC9 and the Conference itself":

• First, the “FIT” principle — Full participation, Inclusiveness, and Transparency;

• Second, any issue for action or decision by Ministers proposed by members should be developed by them in line with the normal consensus principle; and

• Third, issues for action or decision by Ministers should be agreed well before MC9."

Will the salubrious setting of Bali break the Doha deadlock? Will it lead to a meaningful advancement of the Doha round? Will we see the single undertaking principle given up for "low hanging fruit" agreements? Will we see a turn around in negotiations at the multilateral level? If any decisions are to culminate in Bali, the next 10 months would involve extensive negotiations to reach that goal.

Over to Bali.

Bali, WTO and Indonesia

(Bali, Indonesia)

Indonesia was in the news with respect to the WTO for entirely two different reasons. Firstly, it agreed to host the 9th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Bali, Indonesia in December 2013. The 8th Ministerial Conference was in Geneva in December 2011. I have blogged about it here and here.The Ministerial Conference is the highest decision making body of the WTO which meets every 2 years.

 Indonesia, while offering to host the 9th Ministerial Conference stated:

“In the situation where crisis is still hampering the global economy, Indonesia continues to believe that the multilateral trading system has a significant role in fostering a fair global trade, sustaining the world economic growth, eradicating poverty and creating job opportunities. In this regard, the next MC9 will therefore be very important to re-energize the negotiation process and the progress achieved so far, and to strengthen the multilateral trading system. Finally, Indonesia fervently hopes that the exotic ambiance of the land of the gods and goddess, the warm weather and the hospitality of the people of Bali, will rejuvenate and renew the constructive spirit of the Doha Development Agenda negotiation in the WTO.”

A chance to change gears for the Doha round in the serene environs of Bali?

Secondly, Indonesia initiated a dispute with the EU with a request for consultations with respect to importation of fatty alcohols on which EU had imposed anti-dumping duties.

Indonesia has been a rarely reluctant participant in the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of the WTO having been a complainant in only 5, a respondent in 4 cases and a third party only in 4 cases, so far.

As they say in Indonesian, Salamat Datang (Welcome) to Indonesia?