(LONDON) - International deals on climate change, food security and energy security, among others, could all be thrown into doubt if the Doha Round of trade talks were to collapse, the European Union's trade commissioner said Friday.

Speaking to the Financial Times ahead of world trade talks in Geneva on July 21, Peter Mandelson said that the "chances for a breakthrough are improving, but that breakthrough is not yet in the bag."

"If, collectively, we fail this test in Geneva, it will reduce our ability to pass future tests on climate change, food security, energy security and other issues," he told the business daily.

According to Mandelson, a deal was important because "the global economy faces a barrage of problems ... It would bring fresh confidence to a world economy that is certainly in need of it at the moment."

At issue in next week's talks are agricultural and manufacturing trade barriers. The industrialized countries are seeking greater access to developing markets for their manufactured goods, while in return developing countries want lower farm subsidies and agricultural tariffs in the developed world.

The Doha Development Round of negotiations, under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation, were launched with great fanfare in the Qatari capital in November 2001, but have been deadlocked as developed and developing countries alike refuse to budge on their core interests.

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