Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations Chair Releases New Draft Text

The chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations at the World Trade Organization said delegations are feeling urgency around these talks, and they should capitalize on that to get a deal done before mid-July. Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, chair of the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations, released a new document text on May 11 to guide members to a solution on the subsidies dispute ahead of the July 15 ministerial meeting. The text outlines the types of illegal fishing and subsidies that a negotiated agreement would outlaw to prevent overcapacity and overfishing. Beginning May 24, WTO members will have the opportunity to identify other issues on which agreement will be most difficult to obtain, according to a press release from the WTO. Wills said, “This leaves us just two months to finish. The shared sense of urgency is palpable, and we need to harness that sense to finally agree to the compromise landing zones that will represent the ambitious and balanced outcome that ministers in Buenos Aires mandated us to find, to make a substantial and tangible contribution to the health of our shared oceans.”