./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/261
20 July 1999
(99-3035)
General Council Original:  English
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Negotiations on Agriculture
Communication from Switzerland
The following communication, dated 20 July 1999, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Switzerland.
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Proposal
1. Negotiations shall aim, based on Article 20 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, to
continue the process of reform of trade in agriculture through further reductions of export subsidies
and domestic support, as well as further market access commitments, with the long-term objective to
establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system, fully recognizing the multifunctional
character of agriculture.
Background
2. As far as the future negotiations on agriculture are concerned, Article 20 of the Agreement on
Agriculture sets the course to be followed.  Switze rland is ready to continue the process of reform in
accordance with the terms of that Article and the negotiating mandate proposed above is mainly based
on its contents, as well as on the other objectives and concerns mentioned in the preamble to the
Agreement on Agriculture.
3. Switzerland would like to place special emphasis on two aspects.  Firstly, Article 20 clearly
states that the continuation of the reform process shou ld be progressive.  It is within this context that
Switzerland is prepared to consider strengthening its commitments in the areas of export subsidies,
market access and domestic support, respectively.
4. Secondly, the multifunctional character of agriculture is now widely recognized and should
form a fundamental part of the negotiations.  Moreover, Article 20 provides for non-trade concerns tobe taken fully into account in the future negotiations.  A growing number of Members – industrial and
developing – are applying such multifunctional agricultural policies.  The importance and weight
attached to a given non-trade concern may vary between countries, depending on their particular
situation and the level of public awareness.  Accordingly, solutions should be found which enable all
these concerns to be taken into account, in particular by extending the measures allowed underAnnex 2 to the Agreement on Agriculture ("Green Box").WT/GC/W/261
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5. As far as Switzerland is concerned, food security, meeting the needs of a scattered rural
population, protection of the environment and landscap e conservation are important tasks assigned to
agricultural policy.  The question of supply is being formulated not just in quantitative but also in
qualitative terms; the consumers want not only to have high-quality products but also to be fully
informed about the nature of the products they are being offered.  These are concerns which shouldalso be properly taken into account.
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