CIEL participates in a technical and informal workshop on WTO Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies, sponsored by UNEP and WWF.

Febraury 2008

On January 29, 2008, CIEL participated in a workshop entitled, WTO Disciplines on Fisheries Subsidies: Elements of the Chair's Draft, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WWF, and in collaboration with Oceana and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICSTD).

The workshop aimed to discuss the merits and implications of the draft text released by the chair of the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules (Ambassador Guillermo Valles of Uruguay) in November 2007 (TN/RL/W/213). The workshop provided an opportunity for informal technical discussion and for exploration of issues in a non-negotiating context.

CIEL presented on Special and Differential Treatment and EEZ Access Arrangements during the workshop, which consisted of three sessions focused on: 1) the prohibitions and exceptions set out in the draft text; 2) the sustainability criteria that the draft proposes to place as conditions to the use of non-prohibited subsidies; and 3) issues of "special and differential treatment" of developing countries.

The draft text released by the chair of the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules includes potential disciplines on fisheries subsidies. The rules text-which will be used as the basis of negotiations for fisheries subsidies, as well as for anti-dumping and subsidies and countervailing measures-prohibit an array of fisheries subsidies, including subsidies for the construction and repair of fishing vessels used for wild marine capture, for operating costs of those vessels, for port infrastructure or other port facilities related to such fishing.

All documentation relating to the workshop - including presentations and the list of participants - are available at: http://www.unep.ch/etb/events/2008FishSubWorkshop29Jan08.php.

For more information, please contact:

• Marcos Orellana, +1 202 742 5847, morellana@ciel.org