ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges on Thursday briefed the government on the state of negotiations on Croatia's access to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), later telling reporters the United States and
the European Union still had not settled a dispute regarding the liberalisation of audio-visual services. The said dispute stalled the finalisation of Croatia's access to the WTO after six years of negotiations when France, rigorously representing EU's position, demanded that Croatia recognise the preferential status for audio-visual services in order to protect the interests of European culture. During bilateral negotiations with the U.S. and France, Croatia was unable to find a solution which would satisfy both sides, and demanded that the U.S. and France negotiate on the dispute directly. Croatia stated it would sign any agreement the two sides
ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges on
Thursday briefed the government on the state of negotiations on
Croatia's access to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), later
telling reporters the United States and the European Union still
had not settled a dispute regarding the liberalisation of audio-
visual services.
The said dispute stalled the finalisation of Croatia's access to
the WTO after six years of negotiations when France, rigorously
representing EU's position, demanded that Croatia recognise the
preferential status for audio-visual services in order to protect
the interests of European culture.
During bilateral negotiations with the U.S. and France, Croatia was
unable to find a solution which would satisfy both sides, and
demanded that the U.S. and France negotiate on the dispute
directly.
Croatia stated it would sign any agreement the two sides might
reach, in the hope the accessing process would be completed at the 4
and 5 November conference of the WTO Main Council in Geneva.
Neven Mimica, the head of a Croatian government negotiating
delegation, is to meet France's deputy foreign minister in Paris on
Saturday, which Porges said would be "the last attempt to find a
satisfactory solution with the French."
He said Croatia had put forward a concept absolutely acknowledging
the European logic which advocates the protection of cultural
identity, of which, he added, national identity was a constituent
part.
Croatia therefore agrees that audio-visual services ought to be
given preferential status, the minister said.
"It seems the EU won't or can't or doesn't want to reach consensus,"
the minister said in connection with a WTO ministerial conference
which is to take place in Seattle on 30 November."
"Sometimes it is difficult to shake off the feeling that that isn't
also an indirect influence on the electoral results in Croatia," he
asserted, adding that when Baltic countries were accessing the WTO,
the EU had taken part in negotiations with the U.S. in order to find
satisfactory solutions.
According to Porges, Croatia has been left to "squirm" in the
problem alone. He added it seemed nothing was being done to
genuinely assure Croatia that there existed willingness to give it
access to what ensures economic future.
The worst-case-scenario, if the U.S.-EU dispute is not settled by
the Main Council conference, is not so tragic, Porges believes. The
matter will be solved after the Seattle ministerial conference, he
said, adding it was obvious neither side wanted to give in before
the adoption of a ministerial declaration.
"I believe that we, like the other two countries in a similar
position (Albania and Moldova), can realistically expect the
completion of the process in a month or two," Porges said.
(hina) ha jn