13445/05 MP/fm 1 DG E II EN COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 18 October 2005 13445/05 LIMITE WTO 172 NOTE From : Secretariat To : Delegations Subject : GAERC (Luxembourg, 18 October 2005) - Council Conclusions on the WTO Doha Development Agenda Delegations will find attached the Council Conclusions on the WTO Doha Development Agenda.

13445/05 MP/fm 2 DG E II EN ANNEX Council Conclusions on the WTO Doha Development Agenda 1. The  Council  recalled  that  its  conclusions  from  October  1999  to  July  2005  remain  valid  and together constitute the Commission's mandate for the DDA negotiations. The Council recalled as   regards   the   negotiations   in   agriculture   that   the   CAP   reform   is   Europe's   important contribution to the DDA and constitutes the limits for the Commission's negotiating brief in the WTO Round. 2. The Council underlined its support for Commission efforts to secure an outcome in line with the  mandate.  In  that  context,  it  welcomed  the  Commission’s  commitment  to  continue  those efforts  and  to  strengthen  the  mechanisms  to  ensure  that  the  Council  is  fully  informed,  on  a regular and systematic basis, of developments in the negotiations. This process would include explanations  to  the  Council,  confirming  that  the  Commission's  action  remained  within  the mandate, including, as necessary, the use of technical analysis. 3. The Council reconfirmed the importance of achieving a balanced outcome within and across all of the main elements of the Doha Work Programme, and its commitment to a successful result based on a broad and ambitious agenda with a specific focus on the needs and interests of   developing   countries.   The   Council   underlined   that   all   WTO   partners   need   to   make contributions to those negotiations, commensurate with their level of development. 4. In the light of the significance of these issues  and, in the run-up to the Conference in Hong Kong  of  13-18  December,  the  Council  agreed  to  revert  to  the  matter  at  its  forthcoming meetings,  and  to  meet  as  appropriate  during  the  Conference  itself  in  order  to  provide  the Commission with any further necessary guidance. __________