WTO Members Review 6 Proposals on Cutting Subsidies Leading to Overfishing at 3rd 'Fish Week'
World Trade Organization members made progress during the third "Fish Week" on six new proposals on combating subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing, the WTO announced. Prior to the June 5-9 Fish Week, which consisted of small group talks and two plenary sessions, the WTO received five proposals from Norway; China; Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu; Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay; and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. A sixth proposal from Fiji circulated during the week.
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Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson, chair of the talks, said the proposals helped develop a text for further negotiations at the 13th Ministerial Conference set for February. The next Fish Week will be held July 10, with members continuing to discuss the proposals and possibly receiving further proposals, Gunnarsson said.
“I had noted that after the conceptual deliberations in the first two Fish Weeks, we need to move toward building a single basis for our text-based work in the fall," Gunnarsson said. "I think we have made significant strides toward this goal this week. This is a great start toward the aim of developing the elements for a single text to use as the starting point of our text-based negotiations in the fall."