EU capitals including Paris and Berlin have warned that saving the World Trade Organization must take precedence over making sure its next chief is European, in a sign of the bloc’s wariness about the looming vacancy.
Phil Hogan, the EU’s trade commissioner, announced on Tuesday that he was “exploring” the possibility of running to succeed Roberto Azevêdo as director-general of the WTO when he leaves in September.
But France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands all cautioned during EU ministerial talks on the same day that securing the post for Europe should not be the overarching priority, according to some of those involved in the discussions.
Jeppe Kofod, Denmark’s foreign minister, confirmed the stance to the Financial Times on Thursday, saying that a director-general was needed who would be able to “reboot” the WTO and “earn the respect” of all the organisation’s members.
“To my mind, a successful candidate’s qualifications are more important than nationality,” Mr Kofod said.
His comments underline Europe’s cautious approach to the WTO job at a crucial moment in the organisation’s history, as the rule book for global trade comes under stress from US-China tensions and President Donald Trump’s unilateralism. The EU has argued that the WTO can be saved if its membership rallies behind a deep reform agenda, but that the system risks collapse if action is not taken.
EU diplomats said it was crucial that the next director-general should provide that unifying force.
“We should not exclude a candidate who could be very competent just because they are non-European,” one diplomat said. “We need to be prudent.”
Diplomats cautioned that none of the countries that spoke out on Tuesday were against having an EU candidate, but that this should not come at the expense of the bloc’s wider objectives for the WTO.
“A new [director-general] would have to honour many different views and earn the respect of all WTO members,” Mr Kofod said, adding that it should be someone “with political authority, integrity and true multilateral commitment, including to other multilateral agendas such as sustainability”.
Mr Azevêdo announced last month that he would step down a year early. So far there are three official candidates to replace the Brazilian — Egypt’s Hamid Mamdouh, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria and Jesús Seade Kuri from Mexico. Nominations close on July 8.
An EU official said on Thursday that Mr Hogan was still considering whether to proceed with his candidacy.
The Trump administration this week rebuffed a claim made by Mr Hogan that US trade representative Robert Lighthizer wanted the WTO’s next director-general to be from a developed country.
“Ambassador Lighthizer does not support any candidate at this time, nor does he feel that a candidate must necessarily be from a developed country,” Unite States Trade Representative spokesman Jeff Emerson told Politico on Tuesday.
