Trade
and Environment
The
Government is committed both to protecting the environment
and to maintaining an open, non-discriminatory and equitable
multilateral trading system. For this reason, we must be
sure that WTO rules can be applied without sacrificing environmental
concerns; and that international work on environmental protection
(for example, via international agreements governing the
environment such as Multilateral Environment Agreements
(MEAs)) can be pursued without sacrificing trade principles
and WTO rights.
The
Government's work on trade and environment is governed by
some clear principles, for example:
a)
we must at all cost avoid forging new protectionist tools:
the principles of non-discrimination, national treatment
and transparency must be fully respected;
b)
wherever possible, environmental regulation must be multilaterally
based; and command the widest support;
c)
trade rules must not be used to block legitimate environmental
regulation and we must be guided at all times by the principle
of sustainable development;
d)
where environmental action is required, it should be evidence
based while acknowledging that there will not always be
full certainty.. Risks will need to be assessed fully, including
the risks if action is not taken.
The
UK takes part in the WTO
Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), which examines
the interface between trade and environment policies. The
European Commission represents the European Union in meetings
of the CTE. For more information on EU trade and environment
policy, see the EU
website.
At
the WTO 4th Ministerial in Doha, which took place
in November 2001, environment was included on the agenda
for the first time. This important step must not be underestimated.
It is the first time that the links between trade and environment
have been explicily recognised as part of a Round. In the
Doha Declaration, WTO members agreed to negotiations on
the relationship between WTO rules and specific trade obligations
set out in MEAs; procedures for regular information exchanges
between MEA Secretariats and the relevant WTO committee
and the reduction, or as appropriate elimination, of the
tariff and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods and
services.
WTO
members also instructed the CTE to pursue further work on
the environment agenda, paying particular attention to the
effect of environmental measures on market access, especially
in relation to developing countries, the relevant provisions
of the Agreement on Trade- Related Aspects of International
Property Rights and labelling for environmental purposes.
Work on these issues includes the identification of the
need to clarify any relevant WTO rules.
At
the WTO 5th Ministerial in Cancun, which took
place in September 2003, discussions on the environment
agenda were limited to labelling for environmental purposes
and observership status for MEA secretariats. Disappointingly,
the Cancun Ministerial did not reach agreement on this or
any other aspect of the Round, but we will continue to push
for a successful outcome on all aspects of the WTO environment
agenda by the end of the trade round.
Information
on the progress of negotiations, including the position
papers submitted by WTO Members such as the EU, can be found
on the WTO website at the CTE link above.
The
UK is also active in the OECD through the Joint
Working Party on Trade and Environment and we support
UNCTAD
in its continuing work on trade and environment.
A
number of Government Departments work together to develop
trade and environment policy, including the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department
for International Development and the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
Contact:
Emma Squire
Tel: 020 7215 6017
Fax: 020 7215 2235
Email: emma.squire@dti.gsi.gov.uk
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