Berne Declaration media statement on bilateral trade agreements

Berne Declaration Switzerland
Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations

22 June 2004

Media Release

Swiss and bilateral instead of multilateral and development oriented: North-South free-trade agreements are obstacles to development

It is not widely known that Switzerland will sign two more bilateral free trade agreements (with Lebanon and Tunisia) on the occasion of the meeting of ministers of EFTA states (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland) taking place in Montreux (Switzerland) on June 24. These agreements include regulations on intellectual property going far beyond WTO regulations which infringe on the rights of farmers and also limit the access of poor populations to better medication. The Berne Declaration and the Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations request that such regulations going beyond WTO be abandoned and that negotiations be transparent.

While the negotiations of the World Trade Organization WTO are stalled, the northern trading nations are pushing regional free trade agreements with selected developing countries. Switzerland is concluding the sixth such agreement already in the context of EFTA. In addition, negotiations are in process with Egypt and South African countries (SACU). All these agreements include specifications which go beyond the comprehensive WTO regulations. In particular with respect to intellectual property, Switzerland is strongly promoting the so-called TRIPs Plus regulations. "Thereby the right of farmers to re-use seed is restricted, and also access to vital medication is hindered. The Swiss government acts thus in contradiction to the agreement signed in Doha, according to which all countries have the right to take measures in favor of public health, and in particular to enable the supply of medication to everybody", Julien Reinhard of the Berne Declaration said.

Switzerland also intends to put on the bilateral agenda subjects which are highly controversial within the WTO. For example, developing countries reject an agreement on investment which offers all the privileges to investors but does not subject these to any obligations. In the context of WTO, moreover, only a few developing countries committed themselves to the deregulation of the services sector. "Now Switzerland is trying the bilateral road to induce developing countries to deregulate their financial markets", Marianne Hochuli of the Berne Declaration explained, "in doing this, Switzerland is pursuing its own economic interests, questions of development policy are of no importance."

"Such North-South free trade zones are questionable", Peter Niggli of the Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations thinks, "unlike preferential South-South trade agreements, these North-South agreements risk to hinder rather than advance the development of poor countries."

The Berne Declaration and the Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations request from the Swiss government and from the state secretariat for economic affairs "seco" - a transparent negotiating process for bilateral free trade and investment agreements - no regulations going beyond WTO regulations - no subjects which are rejected by developing countries within WTO

For further information please contact:

Marianne Hochuli, Berne Declaration, Zurich, phone +41 1 277 70 11
Julien Reinhard, Déclaration de Berne, Lausanne, phone +41 21 620 03 06 mobile +41 76 327 67 41
Peter Niggli, Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations, mobile +41 79 262 69 27

Berne Declaration
Marianne Hochuli
Postfach, Quellenstrasse 25, CH-8031 Zürich
e-mail: trade@evb.ch
Tel. direkt ++41/(0)1- 277 70 11
FAX ++41/(0)1- 277 70 01
website
http://www.evb.ch

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