Bulletin of the IDF N° 335/1998 - Half-Way Through WTO I – Count Down to WTO II – An IDF Situation Report, 1998

Publication description

Half-Way Through WTO I – Count Down to WTO II – An IDF Situation Report, 1998
by P. Mikkelsen (Denmark) to Commission C at the 1998 Annual Sessions held in Aarhus (Denmark)

This report first examines the current developments within production, consumption, trade, prices and exchange rates to give a full perspective of the dairy market situation and shed some light on expected forecasts for the coming years. The predictions are based mainly on OECD figures. After having studied actual figures the focus turns to the political aspects and effects of the WTO Agreement. The report takes a closer look at the negotiation process within the WTO, where currently no resolution has been made as to the major question of whether there will be single issue negotiations on agriculture or a new global millennium round. Two further issues, the SPS Agreement and the accession process, have been singled out as other important aspects of the current international trade regime.
12 pp

Dairy Situation in Central and Eastern Europe – Development of Dairy Production in Prospective First Round Central and East European EU Member Countries and Impacts for the EU
Presentation by E. Hetzner & E. Richarts (Germany) to Commission C at the 1998 Annual Sessions held in Aarhus (Denmark)

The political changes at the end of the 1980s had a significant impact on the development of the dairy industry in the Central and East European countries (CEEC). The abolition of the widely spread subsidizing systems and the exposition to market prices without regard to the existing structure of input costs led to a severe crisis in nearly all industrial sectors, including the dairy industry. The process of recovery will be very important not only for these countries, but also for all participants in the respective markets.
The aim of this study is to analyse the present situation and to assess the prospective development in the five countries which have recently commenced negotiations for entry into the European Union.
7 pp

Recent Developments in (European) Food Distribution
Presentation by A. Krijger, A. Tuten & M.P. Voorbergen (the Netherlands) to Commission C at the 1998 Annual Sessions held in Aarhus (Denmark)

Developments in the food retail sector are discussed, followed by a comparison of developments in concentration and internationalization for both the food retail and the dairy processing industry. Finally, an overview of important trends in retail is presented, and the accompanying threats and opportunities for the dairy industry are discussed.
7 pp