NEGOTIATING GROUP ON RULES – FISHERIES SUBSIDIES

Report by the Chair, ambassador einar gunnarsson to
the negotiating group on rules

Addendum

Introduction

1._      This Addendum provides background, context, and explanations for the draft "Additional Provisions on Fisheries Subsidies" that I have circulated today in document TN/RL/W/278 (document W/278). As indicated on its cover page, the document reproduces the "Advanced Draft" text that the Minister Facilitator, Permanent Secretary of State Martin Eyjólfsson, e-mailed to all delegations during MC13, in the early morning of 1 March. This Addendum also reports on the activities that took place during the Ministerial Conference, both leading up to and following the circulation of the Advanced Draft.

2._      Regarding the contents of the document, the Advanced Draft represents the fruit of very hard and constructive work at MC13 across a broad spectrum of Members, under the Minister Facilitator's able leadership. In particular, the document reflects the important progress made at MC13 on a number of issues where convergence until then had been elusive. The Advanced Draft distributed by Secretary Eyjólfsson on 1 March did not carry a document symbol and had only an informal status. Underscoring the importance of capturing and preserving this text, many Members expressed during the March meeting of the General Council the desire to build on the work done and the progress achieved on fisheries subsidies at MC13. My aim in now reproducing the contents of that text as a formal document in the TN/RL/W series is to ensure that it can easily be retrieved and used as the basis going forward.

3._      The process that led to this text took place over the first days of MC13 in consultations of various configurations, often convened at late hours and on short notice. I wish to sincerely thank all delegates for your availability and the constructive spirit that you brought to all of these engagements. While some of the articulated positions were strong, all delegations expressed their views clearly, and it was very encouraging to see the concerted collaborations across well-known divides to seek solutions on very challenging issues that were still open when we arrived in Abu Dhabi. I share the view expressed by many delegations, in the last hours of MC13 and again in the General Council in March, that we came extremely close in Abu Dhabi to concluding the second wave of negotiations. The credit for this goes to Ministers and their delegates. Without the commitment and trust placed in the Minister Facilitator, in the process, and in me, we could not have made this progress. So again, I wholeheartedly thank all Members, on my own behalf and on behalf of Secretary Eyjólfsson.