global antitrust rules

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Thursday, February 5, 1998
                               EU launches campaign to include competition
                               rules in new trade talks

                               BY JOHN ZAROCOSTAS
                               JOURNAL OF COMMERCE SPECIAL

                               DAVOS, Switzerland -- The European Union has 
launched a new diplomatic
                               offensive to rally support for competition 
rules to be included in a new round of
                               global trade talks slated to begin in 1999.

                               Karel Van Miert, EU competition commissioner, 
told an audience here of over
                               1,000 political and business leaders, that 
Brussels would like to see the World
                               Trade Organization craft a set of global 
competition principles.

                               Mr. Van Miert said the objective was to come 
up with an agreement on what
                               minimum steps would be taken at national 
levels by WTO members. He admitted
                               there is "no full-fit proposal yet."

                               He said the WTO working party, set up after 
agreement was reached by trade
                               ministers at the 1996 Singapore summit, is 
looking at how the issue could be tackled
                               in a future round of talks.

                               Mr. Van Miert sees the WTO initiative "as the 
first step in a procedure which one
                               day will lead to some basic rules, dispute 
settlement arrangements, and things like
                               that."

                               Renato Ruggiero, WTO director-general, also 
was hopeful the competition policy
                               brief would be adopted, but cautioned that 
the assessment will be made by member
                               countries this year.

                               Over 60 working papers on competition issues 
have been put forward by WTO
                               member countries so far, WTO diplomats said.

                               Peter Sutherland, former chief of the General 
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the
                               WTO's predecessor, and a former EU 
competition commissioner, said it is difficult
                               to determine what will happen.

                               Mr. Sutherland said he does not expect any 
dramatic change other then an
                               agreement on broad principles.

                               Shoichiro Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor 
Corp., said that deregulation and
                               competition is the way the world economy is 
heading.

                               Mr. Toyoda said any efforts to harmonize 
national competition rules should avoid
                               protectionist practices, and also take into 
account the diversity of each country, or
                               region.