Trouble With DDA If AD ?Touched?

8 November, 2005

Most members of Congress do not think much at all of the ongoing Doha Development Agenda of trade negotiations and when they hear that the United States is getting little of what it is demanding in agricultural and industrial products market access, they think even less of it (see related report this issue).

A senior Democratic House trade aide yesterday spoke to a Global Business Dialogue session on potential reforms of the World Trade Organization's antidumping agreement.

The aide warned DDA negotiators not to "touch" the current Antidumping Agreement or risk rejection of the final DDA accord. Even if the United States gets everything it wants from the round in market access for agriculture and industrials Congress would turn it down if it viewed US trade laws as being weakened.
Getting Congress to pass an Antidumping Agreement at the conclusion of the Uruguay Round was difficult enough. He suggested that negotiators let the agreement stand except for some minor clarifications.

Nevertheless, negotiators in Geneva are serious about making changes in the Antidumping Agreement which remains a key demand of the European Union, noted senior Swedish trade official Anders Ahnlid, who also participated in the panel discussions. There are many flaws in countries