Norway’s prosperity and economic growth are heavily dependent on good framework conditions for trade with other countries. Norway has therefore been an enthusiastic prime mover for the development of a wide-ranging, binding set of international trade rules, and was one of the 23 states that established the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947. These international rules were further strengthened when GATT became the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995. Today the WTO is a global organisation with 147 members (as of August 2004) and applications for membership from a further 25 countries.
The WTO rules protect countries against discrimination, protectionism and domination of the weak by the strong in world trade, and have facilitated global economic growth and development. Tariffs on industrial products have been drastically reduced in the past 50 years, and there are now WTO agreements covering trade in agricultural products, services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (such as patents, trademarks and copyright). The dispute settlement system allows the organisation to enforce its rules and makes it possible for even small countries to uphold their rights.
However, there are still substantial barriers to trade in a number of areas. At the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha in 2001 the member countries decided to start a new round of negotiations with the aim of further reducing barriers to trade. It was agreed that particular attention should be paid to the needs of developing countries.
Norwegian industrial products, including fish and fish products, continue to come up against tariff barriers in many markets. Our long-term goal is to have all tariffs on industrial products abolished. In the current round of negotiations we are especially concerned to obtain substantial reductions in tariffs on fish and fish products, especially processed products.
Norway exported services to a value of about NOK 152 billion in 2002, which is about 24 per cent of its total export earnings. Norway is particularly interested in better market access for shipping and other maritime services, energy-related services, environmental services, and telecommunications, maritime insurance and business services.
The use of protectionist measures and anti-dumping duties is a growing problem, and can undermine market access. Norwegian products, especially farmed fish, are being affected by these measures in both the USA and the EU. Norway is therefore making active efforts within the WTO to make it more difficult to adopt such measures for protectionist purposes.
Norway wishes to maintain a viable agricultural sector for reasons of food security, settlement patterns in outlying districts, and the cultural landscape. The high level of costs means that Norway is dependent on maintaining a certain level of tariff protection and continuing to make transfers to agriculture. On the other hand, agricultural exports are very important for many countries, not least developing countries. The WTO members have committed themselves to liberalising trade in agricultural products by reducing tariffs and domestic support schemes. However, it has been difficult to agree on how this is to be done.
Norway also has a strong interest in helping to promote global prosperity. More than three quarters of WTO members are developing countries, and for them external trade is a very important instrument for increasing earnings and laying the foundation for stronger economic growth. Thus in its activities in the WTO Norway has put emphasis on meeting the special needs of developing countries.
Norway welcomes the agreement that was reached in the WTO in July 2004 on the framework for further negotiations. Norway will do its best to ensure that the Doha round of negotiations achieves a balanced result that safeguards the interests of all its members.
By the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs