Progress on world environmental trade talks

Citation

(2004), "Progress on world environmental trade talks", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 5 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2004.24905dab.003

Progress on world environmental trade talks

World governments are finally beginning to make progress in talks aimed at cutting barriers to trade in environmental goods, it has emerged following latest negotiations in the World trade organisation (WTO) environment committee. The EU is to make its own detailed proposals this autumn.

The aim of easing trade in environmental goods and services is included in the Doha development round of trade liberalisation launched in 2001. Until now, negotiations have proceeded very slowly. Chiefly, this has been due to a lack of clarity over definitions and a tendency for proposals to reflect national export strengths.

Signs of a thaw appeared in Geneva in late June 2004. Taiwan and the EU both presented proposals during the meeting. The former contains mostly end-of-pipe pollution controls. The much broader European plan suggests including on the one hand goods used in pollution control and resource management and on the other goods with a high environmental performance or low environmental impacts.