Introduction

This introduction presents some of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. On 9 May 1967, Jean Rey, the Belgian member of the European Commission and chief negotiator for the European Economic Community (EEC) during the Kennedy Round of trade negotiations, and William W. Roth, the US special trade representative, met in an attempt to bring the round to a conclusion. Bargaining had dragged on since 1963 under the aegis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). This chapter provides domains of analysis in the bargaining among the EEC's members in Brussels for the purpose of establishing a common position in the Geneva negotiations. In implementing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Europeans had decided to set up a strictly protected and regulated regional agricultural market. Liberalization achieved during the Kennedy Round affected trade among rich and developed countries, while the less-developed countries (LDCs) did not benefit from it.