The Case for a Global Triangle Forum at the WTO, By Pascal Lamy, Geneviève Pons, Colette Van der Ven & Cláudia Azevedo (europejacquesdelors.eu)

In this article, the authors call for the development of a Global Triangle Forum to foster dialogue and cooperation on the trade, environment, and development nexus at the World Trade Organization. [The blog post was first published by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS)]

Over the last four years, the greening of the European Union's trade policy has progressed at a fast speed, as evidenced by a series of initiatives by the EU Commission which have resulted, or will result before the end of the present legislature, in the adoption of a host of new “greening trade” measures. They include notably the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products, the Directive on Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence (CSDDD), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and mirror clauses to regulate agri-food trade. The overall purpose of these green trade initiatives is to align the EU’s import regimes with changes in the EU’s domestic regimes stemming from its new environmental ambitions—known as the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package—while respecting international trade rules.

These EU sustainability initiatives have received negative reactions from EU trading partners, in particular developing and least developed countries. Critiques centre around accusations of “green protectionism” and “regulatory imperialism”, given the unilateral nature of the EU’s sustainable trade measures; the measures’ anticipated economic impacts (since EU market access will be conditioned on compliance with EU sustainability measures); and climate justice concerns, embedded in the Paris Agreement through the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities—which highlights that while states have common responsibilities for environmental protection, these responsibilities are also differentiated among states, given differences in socio-economic circumstances, greenhouse gas contributions, and states’ different technological and financial capacities to contribute to environmental protection.

The blog post was first published by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS)

The Case for a Global Triangle Forum at the WTO

The blog post was first published by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS)] Over the last four years, the greening of the European Union's trade policy has progressed at a fast speed ...

https://www.europejacquesdelors.eu/publications/httpstessforum.orglatestthe-case-for-a-global-triangle-forum-at-the-wto