WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/AG/NG/W/26
13 July 2000
(00-2881)
Committee on Agriculture
Special SessionOriginal:  English
SECOND SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
29-30 JUNE 2000
Statement by Hungary
Since almost all of the proposals arrived rather late at this stage we would like to limit
ourselves to offer observations on just some of the proposals and even these comments are
preliminary in nature since we would like to study all the proposals in a very careful manner and thencome back on them as appropriate.
Let me now turn to a rather interesting proposals concerning market access submitted by
Canada.
This proposal considers possible options for improving market access for agricultural and
food products in a way that the major disparities in the terms of access between Members can be
reduced significantly.  We find Canada's basic approach very interesting and worth of very serious
consideration.  Members of the Committee might recall that in preparatory process leading to Seattle,
Hungary together with the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic submitted a communication
following a similar approach: in th at paper, the three countries called for the establishment of such
modalities for further tariff reductions and other related commitments which would address theexisting differences in the current levels of effective market opening with a view of narrowing them.
Secondly, with regard to the rather comprehensive US proposal and especially the note on
domestic support reform we welcome the readiness of the US to review the criteria for exempt
support measures on the basis of the experience gathered so far and to adapt them as well as establishadditional criteria-based categories to be exempted from reduction.  We are particularly heartened by
the recognition of the unique challenges facing countries in transition though we have to add that we
would expect a much higher prominence to be given to this issue during the negotiations and in their
outcome with a view to assist the increasing number of Members with an economy in transition in
their efforts to establish and consolidate a viable market-oriented domestic agricultural sector.  Thiscould be done by strengthening the reference to transition economies and move it into the chapeau of
the section entitled "Supporting sustainable agricultural and rural development with minimal
distortions".  We are looking forward to come back to this issue in the future.
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