Conclude Doha : It Matters!

Hoekman, Bernard ; Martin, Will ; Mattoo, Aaditya

关键词: ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES;    ADVERSE IMPACTS;    AGGREGATE DEMAND;    AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES;    AGRICULTURAL EXPORT SUBSIDIES;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-5135
RP-ID  :  WPS5135

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The Doha Round must be concluded notbecause it will produce dramatic liberalization but becauseit will create greater security of market access. Itsconclusion would strengthen, symbolically and substantively,the WTO s valuable role in restraining protectionism in thecurrent downturn. What is on the table would constrain thescope for tariff protection in all goods, ban agriculturalexport subsidies in the industrial countries and sharplyreduce the scope for distorting domestic support - by 70 percent in the EU and 60 per cent in the US. Average farmtariffs that exporters face would fall to 12 per cent (from14.5 per cent) and the tariffs on exports of manufactures toless than 2.5 per cent (from about 3 per cent). There arealso environmental benefits to be captured, in particulardisciplining the use of subsidies that encourageover-fishing and lowering tariffs on technologies that canhelp mitigate global warming. An agreement to facilitatetrade by cutting red tape will further expand tradeopportunities. Greater market access for the least-developedcountries will result from the "duty free and quotafree" proposal and their ability to take advantage ofnew opportunities will be enhanced by the Doha-related"aid for trade" initiative. Finally, concludingDoha would create space for multilateral cooperation oncritical policy matters that lie outside the Doha Agenda,most urgently the trade policy implications of climatechange mitigation.