WTO launches 2nd wave of fisheries-subsidies negotiations

As a follow-up to the historic agreement on fishing subsidies, reached at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in June last year, WTO has launched “second wave” of negotiations on fisheries subsidies. Four dedicated fish-weeks for intensive discussions have been announced, with the first scheduled for the week of March 20.

Image source: WTO

As a follow-up to the historic agreement on fishing subsidies, reached at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in June last year, World Trade Organisation (WTO) has launched the “second wave” of negotiations on fisheries subsidies. At a meeting of the Negotiating Group on Rules, chaired by Icelandic ambassador Einar Gunnarsson, four dedicated fish-weeks for intensive discussions were announced. The four periodic clusters of meetings called ‘fish weeks’ are said to be held until July, the first being scheduled for the week of March 20.

“In all, I held more than 30 bilateral sessions, and they were uniformly positive in tone. Delegations expressed great enthusiasm to fully re-engage, and to work hard to fulfil the mandate that we received from ministers at MC12,” Ambassador Gunnarsson said. He expressed confidence that members will be able to conclude the second wave of fisheries subsidies negotiations by the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) scheduled in February 2024. 

At the meeting, the chair further called for more members to submit their formal acceptances of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which was adopted in June 2022 at MC12. For the Agreement to come into effect, two-thirds of the WTO members need to submit their “instruments of acceptance” with the global trade body. 

So far two countries, Switzerland and Singapore, have submitted their formal acceptances.