APEC Senior Officials Set Work Plans for APEC 2007 Australia

APEC Senior Officials have wound up their first meeting for 2007 with a wide-ranging discussion of world trade negotiations and key regional economic issues.

APEC officials reaffirmed the importance they attach to a successful outcome to the Doha round of world trade negotiations and agreed to remain vigilant in identifying opportunities to support the multilateral trade system.

They welcomed the news that the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) was considering sending a delegation of members to Geneva and other capitals to express concern at the lack of progress in the negotiations.

Senior Officials have begun preparing a second-phase Trade Facilitation Action Plan with the aim of reducing business costs across the Asia Pacific region. The plan calls for concrete measures to lower overall business transaction costs in areas such as customs, standards, competition policy, intellectual property rights, business mobility and e-commerce.

Officials also discussed ways and means of promoting further regional economic integration with the aim of preparing a report to APEC Leaders who will meet in Sydney in September. The report will also look at the proposal for a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) as a long-term prospect.

Senior Officials also discussed the issues of structural reform, energy security, health issues and counter-terrorism.

Senior Officials discussed the timetable and the objectives of the six sectoral Ministerial meetings that are scheduled in the lead-up to the APEC Minister's Meeting and APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in September.

The calendar for Ministerial and Leaders meetings in 2007 is as follows: