We would like to thank, yourself DG, for your detailed report and the Chairs of the negotiating groups for their updates and valuable work.

First, let me thank the GC chair and the Secretariat for their efforts I much appreciated in facilitating the recent retreat on decision-making. The European Union welcomes the papers and frank conversations on the application of consensus, the organisation of ministerial conferences, the value of small group meetings and past mandates to name a few of the questions that were addressed. We need to continue this conversation and look forward to engaging with the GC chair on the takeaways and operationalising reforms. 

Turning now to our negotiating priorities. It is encouraging that members have over the past months been engaging very actively on leftover items from Abu Dhabi. We welcome that the July General Council is clearly seen as a window that is generating momentum and a forcing mechanism in the negotiation process to take decisions outside Ministerial Conferences.

On agriculture, the European Union acknowledges the text circulated by Brazil and the European Union finds this text to be comprehensive, as it addresses all the agricultural issues, while duly taking into account the food security aspects, which have underpinned our negotiations in the recent past. The European Union can go along with this text, subject to our Member States’ endorsement via the ongoing internal procedures that we are running back home. The European Union hopes that all members will be in the position to give a constructive eye to this text, which, if endorsed, could provide the WTO membership with the political impetus that has been elusive in the agricultural negotiations at the WTO for years. It would be rather an historic moment if this text would be endorsed at the upcoming General Council meeting, since it would allow us to start on the right footing the negotiations in the CoASS and deliver outcomes for the important milestone that is MC14.

On fisheries subsidies we appreciate the work by Ambassador Gunnarsson. The Chair’s text provides a good basis for further discussion, and the European Union is ready to engage constructively to reach a good outcome to achieve the sustainability objectives of the mandate in line with the hybrid approach.  Some issues need to be further refined for this, in order not to further undermine the rationale of the Additional Provisions and we have made that clear at lat Fridays meeting with the chair. We have concerns with statements during this meeting, which have not been very encouraging that we would be able to find consensus. We need to converge if the WTO is to be relevant. We need to cooperate on all issues and not push one topic without cooperation on others.

As for dispute settlement reform, although discussions have been quite interesting, the fundamental issues identified at MC13 (and, in particular, appeal review) are still outstanding. If we are to fulfil the MC13 mandate, the ongoing process must be focussed and build on the progress we have already achieved. There are only 5 months left in 2024. And we are eager to continue engaging constructively to find solutions to the issues of appeal and accessibility. We must keep in mind, if we add new topics to our discussions, we risk derailing this process and we may end up in a DSU review 2.0. We cannot afford that. The rules-based system is at stake.

Finally, on IFD the European Union welcomes the continuous progress of discussions on the legal incorporation of the Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development.