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WTO TRADE POLICY REVIEW OF NORWAY June 21, 2000 On behalf of the United States, I would like to welcome
the delegation from Oslo, many of whom are old friends, to Geneva
for this second WTO trade policy review. I would also like to express
our appreciation to the WTO Secretariat and the Norwegian government
for the quality of their reports and to the discussant for his comments.
The Norwegian delegation should be commended for its active participation in the multilateral process, as evidenced by Ambassador Bryn's able leadership as General Council Chairman. The United States and Norway share many common economic and social values. For several years, Norway has advocated a role for the WTO in the important discussion of the relationship between trade and labor. Norway's participation in this discussion has served to better the understanding of other WTO members- and we look forward to further input as this work continues. We also share Norway's keen interest in the relationship between trade and environmental protection. Norway is playing a particularly important role in addressing the problem of over-fishing, caused by over-capacity and subsidies. Norway has similarly played a leadership role in highlighting the importance of the free exchange of information in electronic commerce. It is clear from reading the Secretariat's report that Norway is committed to free trade in industrial goods and services, open investment, and disciplined protection of intellectual property rights. However, there is a glaring disparity between Norway's openness to trade and investment for industrial products and its high level of protection for agriculture. Norway's average MFN tariff rate of 38.5 percent on agricultural products contrasts markedly with its 2.3 percent average tariff on industrial goods. Exporting agricultural products to Norway is further complicated by unpredictable tariff adjustments, stringent testing, export subsidies, and difficult labeling requirements for processed foods. We are concerned by Norway's policies for GMO's. We note that Norway even bans GMO soybeans, notwithstanding that both the United States and the European Community have determined that these products are safe. Norway imposes severe restrictions on agricultural products that contain additives which have been proven safe. Similarly, Norway imports of hormone-treated beef are banned, notwithstanding that the WTO Appellate Body has ruled that a similar ban, imposed by another Member, is not justified. We strongly encourage Norway to adopt a flexible approach to food standards. We note in the Government Report that Norway strongly supports the built-in agenda and the launch of a broader trade round. We hope that Norway will help build the momentum to expand the negotiations through a cooperative approach to the agricultural negotiations already underway. This will require a frank discussion of export subsidies and market access opportunities. Norway is to be commended for its role in liberalizing trade in services. Norway most recently expanded commitments in the negotiations on basic telecommunications and financial services. Norway is playing an active role in the services negotiations, and we look forward to working with Norway to improve the GATS structure and to expand services commitments. Finally, we are interested in hearing about Norway's plans to privatize state-owned enterprises, with a particular interest in the privatization of Statoil, as well as plans to liberalize its telecommunications sector. We look forward to receiving responses to some other questions presented in writing, as well as hearing more during the discussions today and Friday.
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