2013 DDA 협상과 향후 대응방안

Abstract

지난 WTO 제9차 각료회의(2013. 12. 7.)에서는 도하개발아젠다(DDA) 협상의 일부인 농업, 무역원활화, 개발 등의 10개 이슈로 구성된 DDA 발리패키지가 합의되었다. 이는 비록 일부분이긴 하지만 2001년에 DDA 협상이 시작된 이래 처음으로 회원국들의 합의를 통해 다자간 통상현안이 타결된 것으로, 우리 농업에도 시사하는 바가 작지 않다고 할 수 있다.

농업분야에서는 4가지 이슈(일반서비스, 식량안보 목적의 공공비축, TRQ 관리, 수출경쟁)가 타결되었고, 무역원활화 협정문도 각료결정으로 채택되었습니다. 이에 따라 그동안 정체되었던 DDA 협상이 올해부터는 가속도를 낼 것으로 예상된다. WTO 무역협상위원회는 올해 안에 DDA 타결을 위한 세부 워크프로그램을 수립해야 하며, 농업분야 협상에서도 빠른 시일 내에 식량안보 목적의 공공비축 에 관한 영구적 해결책을 마련하기 위해 워크프로그램을 가동할 것으로 보인다.

최근의 한·EU FTA와 한·미 FTA의 발효, 한·중 FTA 협상 가속화 등으로 사실 국내농업에는 DDA보다 FTA가 당장 직면한 위협이다. 그러나 DDA는 WTO의 모든 회원국들에게 공통으로 적용되는 관세인하 의무를 부여하며, FTA와 달리 국내보조금의 감축 또한 동반되어야 하기 때문에 FTA 못지 않게 국내농업에 미치는 파장이 클 수 있다.

DDA 협상이 재개됨에 따라 우리나라도 농업분야의 잔여쟁점과 모델리티(modality) 초안 등 협상이슈를 재점검하는 한편, G33(개도국 그룹) 및 G10(수입국 그룹)과의 공조를 강화해 나가야 하며, 국내 농정의 대응 방안을 마련하는 등 종합적인 연구·분석이 필요한 시점이다.

In Bali, Indonesia, on 7 December 2013, the DDA small package was adopted, which signaled the change of a multilateral trading system that was at a standstill for a long time. At the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference, held for 5 days from 3 to 7 December, ministers adopted the “Bali Package,” which consisted of 10 issues including agriculture, trade facilitation, and development. The agricultural issue included 1) improvement in TRQ administration, 2) a peace clause on developing countries’ public stockholding for food security purposes, 3) a demand for keeping promises of export competition, and 4) expansion of general services. According to the improvement in TRQ administration, a country with its TRQ fill rate below a certain standard shall change TRQ administration methods to a first-come, first-served basis; or an unconditional license. However, developing countries can have flexibility, so Korea will not be affected much. Permission for public stockholding for food security purposes is a proposal that in public stockholding for food security, developing countries do not have to include the difference between the administered price and the external reference price in AMS. Nevertheless, Korea already abolished the rice purchase system, and changed it to the market price purchase method. Therefore, Korea will not use the permission. On the export competition issue, ministers presented a political declaration with no legal binding force, reaffirming that abolishing export subsidies that was promised in the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration is needed. Also, the “Bali Package” included the Ministerial Decision that added “green box” items of Annex 2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. The decision clearly classified flood control, drought management, soil conservation, and related items that were unclear in previous general services items as “green box” items. An Agreement on Trade Facilitation, adopted by the WTO Ministerial Decision, includes clarifying GATT articles regarding the customs process, strengthening customs cooperation that includes information exchange among customs, and supporting the implementation of developing countries’ trade facilitation measures. In the Agreement, the parts explicitly related to agriculture are rules for importing countries’ enhanced controls or inspections of Article 5 (Other Measures to Enhance Impartiality, Non-discrimination and Transparency), and facilitation of perishable goods’ clearance processes of Article 7 (Release and Clearance of Goods). In Korean agriculture, market opening is rapidly proceeding due to simultaneous FTAs. However, if the WTO trade facilitation measure that was agreed in Bali is implemented, market opening can proceed faster. The result of agrifood export expansion the government is actively promoting depends on the level of trade facilitation of countries that import Korean agrifood. The “Bali Package” addresses a small area with few issues in the whole frame of DDA negotiations. Nonetheless, the Package is positively evaluated in that it can develop DDA negotiations that were at a standstill, and reaffirmed member nations’ support for and trust in the WTO’s multilateral trading system that was considered unstable. However, DDA negotiations depend on how differences can be reduced between developed and developing countries’ opinions on preferential treatment to developing countries in every element of negotiations. In DDA agricultural negotiations that largely increased special treatment and exceptional measures to developing countries, the status of a developing or developed country can affect Korean agriculture much more than in the UR Agreement. Therefore, our biggest goal in negotiations is securing the status of a developing country. Realistically, we should consider participating in the developed country’s duties voluntarily to the extent that their damage to Korean agriculture is small, or reducing the developing country’s rights, rather than fully enjoying the status of a developing country.

Researcher: Moon Hanpil Research period: 2013. 10. 28 - 2014. 1. 31. E-mail address: hanpil@krei.re.kr