AFX European Focus | September 15, 2003
EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy blamed the World Trade Organisation's "medieval" structure for the collapse of ministerial talks in Cancun, Mexico, on trade liberalisation.
"Despite the commitment of many able people, the WTO remains a medieval organisation," Lamy said in speech notes.
He said the procedures and rules of the WTO are not up to the weight of the task.
"There is no way to structure and steer discussions amongst 146 members in a manner conducive to consensus," he said.
"The decision-making needs to be revamped. The EU remains committed to a strong rules-based multilateral trading system and will continue to work in this direction within the WTO," he said.AFX European Focus:
