Back to Basics: How to Make WTO Agreements on Agriculture More Effective?

The Doha round of trade negotiations is deadlocked. Agricultural policy has been a source of contention since the launch of the round in 2001 and seven years of efforts to agree on headline agreements (so-called modalities) for liberalization of agricultural trade have failed. It is time to ask more fundamental questions about the future direction of WTO agreements in agriculture: which agricultural policy instruments should be permitted or prohibited; how should inefficient agricultural policies be treated as long as their removal is politically infeasible; and how can the WTO strengthen members’ political will to reform agricultural subsidies?

In a new ECIPE study, Valentin Zahrnt suggests a new and fresh approach to agricultural subsidies. Acknowledging the political problems in liberalizing agricultural subsidies, Zahrnt proposes to move from the current structure based on three ‘boxes’ to categorize domestic subsidies to a system that is more responsive to the efficiency of individual agricultural subsidies. At this lunch seminar, Zahrnt — a Resident Scholar at ECIPE — will present his new study.

Sandwiches will be served.

RSVP to info@ecipe.org no later than March 3.
Limited number of seats available.