India against EU bringing in new issues at WTO meet via backdoor

 The EU has identified three areas of systemic importance - trade policy and state intervention in support of industrial sectors, global environmental challenges, and trade and inclusiveness - to reinvigorate the deliberative function of the WTO.

India has opposed the European Union's bid to push new issues such as carbon taxes, industrial subsidies, women and climate at the upcoming ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the garb of "deliberative functions" or "conversation with ministers" that seek to reform the body.

Officials said the EU wants an open-ended work programme for such issues while developing countries are against them being discussed among ministers as they don't have a negotiating mandate from the global trade body.

Deliberation sessions have been planned for the first time at the 13th ministerial conference of the WTO for ministers to discuss various issues.

The EU has proposed that these issues be taken up as part of reforming the multilateral trade watchdog. Many proponents are calling MC13 as a "reform ministerial". The EU has identified three areas of systemic importance - trade policy and state intervention in support of industrial sectors, global environmental challenges, and trade and inclusiveness - to reinvigorate the deliberative function of the WTO.

India has insisted these are non-trade issues and should be discussed at organisations which deal with them. "Our perspective is that there is no need to add things unnecessarily," said an official, who did not wish to be identified.