EU Council Conclusions - Hong Kong WTO Special Meeting

PRESS RELEASE: Special Council meeting, General Affairs and External Relations Council Conclusions, Hong-Kong, 13-18 December 2005

Main Results of the Council

The Council approved the declaration resulting from the World Trade Organisation's ministerial conference and underscored the EU's determination to pursue all objectives aimed at securing next year an ambitious and balanced outcome to the negotiations under the WTO's Doha Development Agenda.

CONTENTS: ITEMS DEBATED

TRADE POLICY - DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Throughout the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong, the Council had in-depth discussions with regard to the main issues which were at the centre of the deliberations of the Conference for the elaboration of a draft Ministerial Declaration.

The Council has followed and assessed the evolution of the negotiations on the basis of reports by Commissioners Mandelson and Fischer Boel. The Council expressed at the various stages of the negotiations its full support for the approach and line of action of the Commission.

At its last meeting on 18 December 2005, the Council examined the final text of the draft WTO Ministerial Declaration resulting from the negotiating process. The Council shared the assessment of Commissioners Mandelson and Fischer Boel that, despite certain deficiencies and lack of ambitious progress on various issues, the overall outcome was acceptable. It therefore approved the text of the Declaration and noted that the Commission would express at the closing session of the Conference the acceptance of the Declaration by the European Community and its Member States.

The Council reaffirmed the EU's determination to pursue all its objectives aiming at an ambitious and balanced outcome in the next stages of the negotiations next year.

The Council has noted the Commission's undertaking to indicate at the Heads of Delegations meeting:

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