./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/390
15 November 1999
(99-4917)
General Council Original:  Spanish
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Proposal Concerning the Negotiations on Agriculture
Paragraph 9(a)(ii) of the Geneva Ministerial Declaration
Communication from Cuba
The following communication, dated 9 November 1999, has been received from the
Permanent Mission of Cuba.
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Introduction
1. According to Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, the WTO Member countries are
committed to continuing the liberalization process through negotiations aimed at reducing oreliminating elements that impede in ternational trade in this sector.
2. The fundamental basis for this process must  be the provisions of the Agreement on
Agriculture, concluded during the Uruguay Round.  The basic objective of the process must be to
refine this legal instrument with a view to achieving greater transparency in the market and ensuring
harmony between the commitments to be fulfilled and the benefits to be derived.
3. It must be stressed that in implementing the commitments set forth in the Agreement on
Agriculture as well as those deriving from the forthcoming negotiations in this sector, it is essentialthat we consider the economic, commercial and financial level of each country, with due attention to
the needs of the developing countries, in particular the net food-importers, in the light of the social
upheaval that could result from the abrupt changes that may be demanded by this liberalization
process.
Proposals
The Ministers recognize that the following elements are fundamental and must be taken into
account in the negotiations on agriculture.
Tariffication4. The consequence of this process has been to create prohibitive tariffs for certain agricultural
products.  The new tariff reduction commitments must aim above all at reducing those tariffs which
reach the end of the implementation period with the highest rate, i.e. at contributing to the elimination
of tariff peaks.
5. All non-tariff barriers must be converted into tariffs.WT/GC/W/390
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6. Tariff escalation must be eliminated in the developed countries so that the developing
countries can diversify and increase their share in the export of processed agricultural goods.
Market access
7. The Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform
Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Impor ting Developing Countries must be applied
effectively;  in other words, real access for the products from those countries to the markets of the
developed countries must be improved.
8. The special safeguard provisions should not be applied to products which are of interest to the
developing countries.
9. The use of environmental standards must be limited, and it should be made clear that such
standards must be restricted to strictly scientific criteria.
10. The establishment of quality standards, labelling and packaging must not contribute to the
differentiation of products from the developed and the developing countries, marginalizing products
from the developing economies and reducing their chances of integration in international trade.
Domestic support
11. Granting flexibility in the fulfilment of the agricultural provisions to countries that are victims
of natural disasters, and permitting the temporary application of domestic support measures aimed at
reactivating national production.
12. Considering the discrepancy in the levels of domestic support between the developed
countries and the developing countries, the latter should be granted facilities which guaranteeflexibility in complying with the stipulated requirements in  the implementation period, and special
and differential treatment for developing economies should be intensified in the context of the
forthcoming negotiations.  In this connection, it would be useful to introduce the concept of a "box for
development" for government subsidies intended for that purpose.
Technical assistance
13. The agricultural sector constitutes one of the most important and in some cases the only
significant means of access for the developing countries.  It is therefore vital that they should receive
technical assistance from the WTO, together with other international organizations, in developing a
technical advice programme which would enable them to fulfil their Uruguay Round commitments
and to have an idea of what is to come in the forthcoming negotiations.  This advice would also be
aimed at ensuring that these economies can effectively benefit from the process.
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