Negotiations on fisheries subsidies

At the WTO Doha Ministerial Conference in 2001, negotiations were launched to clarify and improve disciplines on fisheries subsidies. The negotiating mandate was elaborated at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005, including the possibility of prohibiting certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

Negotiations gained new momentum in 2015 within the context of the adoption of sustainable development goals. At the 2017 Buenos Aires Ministerial Conference, Ministers decided on a work programme to reach an agreement, by the next Ministerial Conference, on disciplines to prohibit certain forms of subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing and to eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Current state of negotiations

Discussions take place at the Negotiating Group on Rules with the participation of all WTO members. The core issues addressed are (i) elimination of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing subsidies; (ii) prohibition of subsidies for overfished stock; (iii) prohibition of subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity; and (iv) cross-cutting issues, such as transparency and special and differential treatment.

The issue is complex and includes both trade and sustainability aspects. There is a wide disparity among WTO members in the amount of  subsidies granted to marine fishing. In addition, according to FAO, 80 percent of marine fish stocks are either overfished or at maximum sustainable fishing levels, which may threaten fishing activity and food security of populations in the long term.

The role of Brazil

Brazil has played an active role in the negotiations. It also supports, along with other countries, a proposal for consultations among WTO members with a view to provide further clarification on the implementation of the disciplines that will be agreed on. Additionally, Brazil is a proponent of a mechanism for reducing and limiting subsidy amounts, leaving a margin for sustainable support up to a certain level for members who  subsidize little or nothing.

Brazil considers  that the global amount of fishing subsidies must be reduced, particularly by those countries that allocate the largest resources into the sector, so as to narrow the disparity between the biggest and the smallest providers of subsidies and to ensure sustainable marine fishing practices.