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Environmental requirements/SPS measures
Key questions
• Effects, both positive and negative, on exports from developing countries
• Constraints, costs of compliance• Perceptions (protection/protectionism)• Responses at national/regional levels• Recommendations to mitigate adverse
trade effects and strengthen capacities to respond to these standards
(a) national/regional (b) bilateral/multilateral (c) multilateral trading system
Sectors
South Asia Fishery productsPeanuts, rice, spices, teaOrganic products
Central America
Fishery products PoultryOrganic products
Africa Fishery products Horticulture Organic products
Outputs
• Research in three developing regions
– South Asia– Eastern Africa, Mozambique– Central America
• Three regional scoping papers• Overall scoping paper• Scoping paper on organic agriculture
http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/openF1.htm
Objectives of this meeting?
• Review scoping papers • What conclusions can be drawn?• Enhance co-operation and co-
ordination• Discuss possible follow-up
activities
Agenda, day 1
• Environmental requirements/SPS measures
• Regional experiences– South Asia– Africa– Central America
• Fish and fish products• Organic agricultural products
Agenda, day 2
• The Impact of Standards and SPS Measures in Selected Food Sectors
• Strengthening capacities• WTO aspects• The way forward
Environment-related NTMs
• Technical standards and regulations– Product content (limit values for certain
substances) – Banned substances– Recycled content– Emissions– Energy efficiency– Recycable, degradable
• Packaging regulations• Labelling
– Mandatory labelling– Voluntary labelling (e.g. eco-labelling)
Environment-related NTMs
• Certain SPS measures• Licenses (MEAs)• Quantitative restrictions (MEAs)
– CITES– Basel Convention– Montreal Protocal– International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
• Taxes and charges
• Informal requirements (non-government)– Buyers requirements– NGO actions
Notifications to the WTO, 2000
Source: WT/CTE/W/195
Area Total Env. Examples
TBT 639 97
SPS 468 27 Food safety
Subsidies 133 32 Investm., regional aid, energy
Agriculture 229 40 Env programmes (green box)
Licensing 70 17 Basel, CITES, Montreal Protocol
Safeguards
87 1 Import of wheat gluten
Cust. Val. 36 3 Dangerous products, wastes
RTAs 16 Almost all have env. provisions
TRIPS 328 5 Non-patentability living beings, negative env. impact, compulsory licensing
QRs ? 5 CITES, Montreal ProtocolUsed vehicles
WTO, 2000
No environment related notifications under
• Anti-dumping• State trading• GATS• Balance of Payments• Textiles and clothing• Preshipment inspection• Rules of origin• Government procurement• Information technology
Source: WT/CTE/W/195
Notifications to the TBT Agreement
Year Number of environment-related TBT notifications
Total number of
TBT notification
s
Percentage of environment-related TBT notifications
1991 35 358 9.7
1992 36 394 9.1
1993 42 487 8.6
1994 35 508 6.9
1995 41 365 10.6
1996 53 460 11.5
1997 89 794 11.2
1998 98 648 15.1
1999 84 669 12.5
2000 97 639 15.2Source: WT/CTE/W/195
Africa
Pesticide residues
Standards for maximum residue levels for pesticides
Packaging requirements
Has created some concern
Eco-labelling May become more important in the cut flowers and fisheries sectors
Timber Exports may be affected by consumer boycotts and/or timber certification.
CITES Ivory trade
Montreal Protocol
Methyl bromide, used in agriculture