AGRICULTURE IN THE URUGUAY ROUND: AMBITIONS AND REALITIES
分析了农业贸易政策受国内政策驱动导致高支持水平,探讨了直接支付等新工具,并指出自由化需要国际合作,美欧协调将影响广泛交易的作物,出口补贴是主要约束因素。
Agricultural trade policies are basically a function of domestic policy considerations which have produced high levels of support in many countries. New policy instruments such as direct payments, which are more demanding in terms of information costs but which distort resource allocation less, are becoming more attractive. Unilateral liberalisation is, however, unlikely. Freer trade is a public good which requires international collective action to be provided. Countries which have a clear‐cut trade interest in liberalising markets for commodities they export can play the role of catalyst in international co‐ordination. The existence of big players is a favourable factor. Hence, the drift of the Round towards a co‐ordination of US‐EC interests. Both political economy and trade interest considerations suggest that an agreement reached will have its main impact on crops which are widely traded. The main constraining factor of an agreement on EC and US agriculture will be the discipline it will impose on the use of export subsidies. Agriculture will still not come fully under GATT rules which apply to other sectors, but in the future the CAP will be more constrained by international commitments than in the past.