Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) continued discussions on how to address harmful fisheries subsidies throughout October. The meeting on October 20 of the Negotiating Group on Rules heard a proposal from Brazil on percentage cuts to subsidies and discussed the issue of proportionality in violations of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), the international organization said in a statement note.
Ambassador Santiago Wills (Colombia) presented a draft consolidated text on June 25, with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of 2020., in line with SDG target 14.6. Throughout October, the Rules Negotiating Group held several rounds of meetings to review the text and propose amendments. During a meeting on 7–8 October, the Group discussed whether and how to define what counts as “fish,” whether to allow subsidies after natural disasters or similar events, how to address maritime disputes, and the issue of territoriality.
El October 9, heads of delegation met and said a revised version of the draft consolidated text would be useful. Some members supported continued discussions in small groups to draft compromise text before presenting it to the broader group, while others expressed concern about not being included in smaller meetings. Members expressed different perspectives on the pace of negotiations, with some calling for more frequent meetings to conclude negotiations by the end of 2020 and others emphasizing challenges with the current pace and level of coordination needed. One member said the current placeholder for text on requiring members to be transparent about their subsidy programs should now be expanded.
The October 20, Brazil has submitted a revised proposal to reduce and limit WTO members' fisheries subsidies, which provides for adjustments to a table of percentage cuts a member must make based on the size of its fisheries subsidies. The proposal would increase the amount of a subsidy program protected from cuts from $15 million to $25 million. Members in the smallest subsidy group, which can also demonstrate small catch volumes and short fishing distances, would have the possibility to add an additional $5 million, raising their total limit to $30 million. Brazil said the proposal responds to suggestions and questions from members and will provide a simple way for members to achieve an ambitious outcome.
Brazil also proposed an expanded negotiation schedule with three stagesThe first stage would involve an agreement on modalities (the percentage cuts and the implementation process), and the second would involve members submitting negotiations with their base subsidy figure to which the reductions would apply. Brazil's proposal provides that large subsidizers that delay their notification would be penalized in this second stage. In a third stage, members with larger subsidy programs would be expected to respond and adjust their figures if asked. Final compliance and review would follow these stages.
On proportionality in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing violations, the Group discussed what, if any, due process criteria an IUU fishing determination must meet to trigger a subsidy ban and whether subsidy bans should be removed when an IUU fishing violation is minor.
The Group was scheduled to continue discussing these issues on 21 and 23 October. The meeting groups will be held from November 2 to 6 and from November 30 to December 4.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
