The G-4 Breakdown

The G-4 talks in Potsdam reached an abrupt end this week when Brazil and India literally walked away from the negotiating table leaving the EU and US behind and bewildered. This could make future WTO talks a bit more complicated. The WTO’s Director-General, Pascal Lamy, was more hopeful. “Prior convergence among the G-4 members would have been helpful to pave the way towards multilateral convergence but helpful does not mean indispensable.”

Only time will tell how the future WTO negotiations will develop. While the WTO's Lamy is optimistic, the reality is that the setback that took place in Potsdam will have grave implications for the future of the Doha Development talks.